Happy Halloween!

"Mommy, More Candy, More!" With the sweetest voice, "trick or treat", observe candy hit the pumpkin, "thank you, welcome!"

Congrats to Joe for getting her dressed (in the rain) driving her to grandma's, Janie's, and then the hospital! She didn't want her bee headband, so he went with piggy's and a flower --- Go Dad!

I wish we could be at YOUR door, but this is pretty darn close!

Round 2 tonight!

Parents - how do I win the getting dressed battle?

Some days Ella does just fine getting dressed. Days like today I would like to drop her off in a wet diaper and naked!

I think she knows when I'm going to work. I'm guessing that's the problem --- change to her routine. She has just had 4 solid days of Mommy Time!

She is FINALLY DRESSED in a very cute Batty shirt.....but I'm exhausted!!!!

"The best thing you make" according to Joe

Recently he told me this was one of his favorites. I've been telling him for weeks I'll make it and I finally did yesterday.

This is a relatively healthy chicken cordon bleu. It takes me MUCH longer than 5 minutes prep time. I think the key is making sure the chicken is really thin. I used 4 chicken breasts (likely bigger than 7 oz each), a package of sliced swiss cheese (I made the 12 slices work), and 3 of the very thin deli slices of smoked ham/breast.

This is the 2nd time I've made it and it turned out even better! Thanks Tyler Florence!

Ingredients
4 double chicken breasts (about 7-ounces each), skinless and boneless
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 thin slices deli ham
16 thin slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons water
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, gently pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Take care not to pound too hard because the meat may tear or create holes. Lay 2 slices of cheese on each breast, followed by 2 slices of ham, and 2 more of cheese; leaving a 1/2-inch margin on all sides to help seal the roll. Tuck in the sides of the breast and roll up tight like a jellyroll. Squeeze the log gently to seal.

Season the flour with salt and pepper; spread out on waxed paper or in a flat dish. Mix the breadcrumbs with thyme, kosher salt, pepper, and oil. The oil will help the crust brown. Beat together the eggs and water, the mixture should be fluid. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, then dip in the egg mixture. Gently coat in the bread crumbs. Carefully transfer the roulades to a baking pan and bake for 20 minutes until browned and cooked through. Cut into pinwheels before serving.

**pictue and recipe from foodnetwork.com

The Apprentice

We have watched the show in and out over the past few years. We had seen a glimpse of the epidsode that aired 10/21 and noticed a familiar scene! While we were walking the streets of Manhattan we saw them filming gladiators in pedicabs. We did take a pedicab to dinner, but not with the Apprentice pedicab people. We definitely saw them filming and assumed it was a commercial. We watched like hawks looking for us in the background. We are kicking ourselves for being so close to the right spot....but not quite! Bummer....

Fun to watch though!

Blog Pressure --- Here's our Pumpkin!

The excitement!

Yep, she HAD to help! I love her other arm on his arm and Yes, Dorothy, I promise he was careful and no trips to urgent care!

Pumpkin guts are cool! I didn't expect this from my girl who loves to freak out over and MESS!

MESS!

Smile!

I had to go get the little camera because I'm not sure how to turn the flash off.....I need to take a camera class!

Thanks for the pressure blog friends -- this was fun!

My Princess - 2 year pics!

We ventured out last night and met with Dana Willis. She did such a great job with Ella and she has posted her pictures here. I would recommend Dana if you are in Salt Lake!

We felt every breeze and chill of the storm that was brewing! I don't think anyone saw the 4-6 inches of snow coming!

She did great!

Thanks for the comments, emails, texts, phone calls! I have an amazing support system and I love you all!

My little girl is amazing! We had some new news on Monday and when I know everything I will share! It's been a challenging week and I have to say I don't enjoy spending my days off at work, but it is just a blessing that I have 4 days off and can be anywhere I need to be for her! Monday went from a planned 20 min appt to 4.5 hours at the hospital and then a surprise CT today.

Thanks for the advice! I sure had a tough time deciding what to do! She was chipper and I kept her up late. Thankfully she slept in until almost the time I needed to wake her to leave. It was amazing!

She woke up happy and after she was dressed she went searching for her new Elmo legos (lego-like). I had already packed them! There was new snow (the first snow) and she was thrilled! We talked about the snow and she played with Elmo (the back together game) the entire way!

We got in quickly and she did well. I asked for the IV team and it went great. (I have great tips if your kiddo ever needs an IV). She cried, but it was minor and she didn't move, kick, etc so it was easy!

Then the challenging waiting began. We were coloring and Goofy had a cup in his hand and she remembered......CRAP! I am frustrated that we had to wait so long at this point, but we survived!

The snow and Elmo saved my morning! The distractions of books, crayons and markers in the exam room helped a ton, but the coloring was out once they put the IV in her right hand!

The sedation was just enough to make her loopy and remain still. I am thankful she only needed one drug and didn't go to "sleep".

The best comment had to be from my sweet mother, "why can't they sedate her before they put in the IV?"! LOVE IT! Just for you Mom I inquired about oral or even nasal sedation.....but I didn't want to risk having a grumpy child for even longer and went with the standard of care! The IV was the worst of all and it wasn't that bad!

I'll chalk it up to more experience to help me care for the patients and families I care for daily.....but I am tired of being on the other side!

Dilemma

Ella has to be sedated for her CT scan tomorrow. Sedation is at 9. She may not eat after 3AM and can have clears (pedialyte) until 7AM. She's been sleeping until after 7 which was hard to accomplish and I am enjoying!

Do I wake her at 6:30 to have some pedialyte and then just entertain her OR put her to bed extra late and hope she sleeps in until close to 8 and have less time to deal with grumpy child who just wants some MILK?

My day - challenging

Ella has been grumpy today. I'm not sure if it's teething, she's getting sick, or she's just a 2 year old!

She was quite needy this morning and we played together. We decided to venture outside for a while and Nicky was running in the front yard and she was drawing on the side walk. I was sitting on the steps reading the paper.....then Ella went into the porch. I figured she's safe and Nicky's out playing....we're good. WRONG! She locked herself in and therefore locked me out with no keys and no phone.....

Solution: Doggy door. I'm glad no one could see me but I did it in a white jacket of course!

Child rescued! We went back outside and it started to rain. We came in. Ella was fighting with me about taking her boots off. The phone rang.

I had a 10 minute call with the hospital about her sedated head CT tomorrow while she screamed ---- the entire time! The lady likely thought I was crazy (or she has a 2 year old). I could do NOTHING to make her happy!

Next she threw her sippy cup at my face.....

I decided we needed a distraction! We went to the park. Nicky and Ella were both in the backseat so I decided to open the back of the Jeep to get the ball and chuck-it and then let them out. Nope --- Nicky comes jumping out of the backseat right at me with excitement. He scared me and I jumped as a jogger slowed down to laugh at me! Seriously......does he know what my morning has been like?

Nap time followed by Ella's 2 year pictures.....I just might be crazy!

When will you Trick or Treat?

I am often frustrated with life in Utah. Trick or Treating is officially on Saturday the 30th because it just can't happen on Sunday. I am frustrated, but trying to be positive! Either way I work from 7-7 both days, so by the time I get home we'll have little time to enjoy anything!

The good news: I have some friends and neighbors boycotting Saturday night....so Ella will be trick or treating BOTH nights! However, we will avoid the "trunk or treat" event in the church parking lot....that's just strange to me!

Next, I'm going to try to get Joe to bring Ella and Nicky to the hospital on Saturday night so my colleagues can see them both in their costumes (yes, they'll have to come outside to see Nicky and YES, Nicky has a costume), but I would just LOVE it! Nicky's dogsitter is working and she completely adores him!

When is trick or treating for you?

Legos!

Well, they are really mega blocks, but she loves them! I'm a softy after a long day with the doctors. The trip to Target for 2 things turned into a cartful! She also had 2 popsicles after dinner!

I'm VERY excited about the new Target --- blocks from our Costco. Still not super close to our house, but AWESOME! It's a new kind of Target called a "Fresh Grocery". It's between a Target and Super Target. It's TARGET and I'm excited!


She was just giddy and I think I had just as much fun as her!


Thanks to Lauren for her great advertisement including song and dance about how much she loved her legos!
Look at my awesome creation!

It's taller than me!

Woah!

That's the funniest thing ever!

Ok, let's do this again. Nicky - he just wanted to be a part of it all!

The Aquadoodle - great idea!

Ella got this for her birthday and it's cool! NO MESS! She can color Elmo over and over and over again!

Love it!

This is how I roll!

Yes, after an extremely long and stressful day of doctor appointments at the hospital where I just spent my last 3 days working.....we ventured out to the new Target with Ella in these shoes!

Joe's pick - the Nike's

Laurie's pick - black boots

Ella WON!

Milestone: Ella - the single piggy!

Her hair is too fine to stay, but it's so cute and she looks much older than 2!

Go Grizzlies!

Ella went to her first hockey game last night! It sounds like she LOVED it! She was all excited to see Griz until she got close and then she was scared. She loved all the noise! She danced, cheered, and had her serious times of just watching. Joe said she kept yelling at the goalie to "go, go, go" not understanding why he wasn't with the rest of the guys! They made it through about half the game.

I'm glad they had fun, but it kills me to miss these things!

Go Hawkeyes!

I'll be watching the score! 

It's so hard to go back to work....

My crazy schedule sure has it's up and downs and today is a real down! It's so hard to go back after being off and having so much fun the last 6 days! It's also hard to miss all the weekend fun! Cheer on my Hawkeyes!

At least I can go into work feeling like I was off for much longer than just 6 days and that's always a good feeling! I just tell myself the positives are more than the negatives and we just make it work for our family!

Quite an Experience

Very last minute we had the opportunity (very long story) to attend a fundraiser for the current Utah Governor and Lieutenant Governor who are up for reelection. It was essentially a work function for Joe. We met Governor Herbert and even posed for a photo. There were some light appetizers and then we listened to him and Lt Governor Bell speak.

This was a new adventure for me and an experience I will not forget!

Dear Santa

I know it's early to think about Christmas....but we had panini potluck day at work last week (and I made it last 3 days because I love panini's)! I don't need one, so I haven't gone out to buy one, but I'd sure like one!

Sometimes it's the little things...

Ella has some crazy hair! I didn't always comb it at bedtime, but now I need to! I've always been chasing down the one comb she has. Is it in the bathroom, living room, Ella's room? I finally bought a 2nd comb. Well worth the investment. I guess it took shopping for a baby shower and being in that aisle!

The littlest things can make life easier!

Vaccines

OK, I'm OVER feeling so horrible about Ella being in pain. I scanned Facebook and found this link to the story about the pertussis outbreak in California. Please, please vaccinate yourself against pertussis. It is a preventable disease and there is no treatment (just watch and wait and treat symptoms), just prevention with vaccination at 8 weeks of age and future boosters. I've seen some very sad cases of pertussis, please don't let there be any more! If you don't remember getting your last pertussis booster - you probably need it. It's been part of the tetatus shot for about 4 or 5 years now.

Prevnar came out with an updated vaccine last spring. In the past it had 7 strains of strep, not it has 13. Ella had completed her course prior to the new vaccine, but I see kids with horrible pneumonia/meningitis, etc from some of the strains that were not in the old vaccine. She got a 5th dose today of the 13 valent vaccine to further protect her.

Official CDC recommendation is for children 59 months - 12 years to get a booster with the 13 valent vaccine. Ask about it at your next doctor visit.

Miss Ella 2 year appointment!

Overall, very awesome appointment! But right now my heart is breaking. She needed 2 shots (really....she needed ONE shot and I requested the 2nd shot (more details in separate post). She keeps crying and telling me "owie knee" and "doctor owie knee". She cried while she ate her reward of french fries and hot fudge sundae and I rubbed her knee. She had a shot in each thigh and one thigh is definitely hurting her. I did motrin and she went down for a nap....I'm hoping that does the trick. POOR BABY! This is the first time she ever complained of pain....but it's also the first time she has had 2 shots and could talk. The flu shot wasn't bad this year.

Outside of her parietal foramina, she's very on track! It was a fabulous appointment and I don't know if he heard me coaching her before he came in or not, but he opened with "hey, Ella GO HAWKEYES" and she said it right back! It's fun to have an extra connection with him and he's really worried about Ella a lot and you can tell he is so happy to see that she is doing so well. He also asked if one of his new colleagues could come feel her head and I'm a fan of "teaching" when appropriate and I figured it was one of the peds residents I've worked with for the last 3 years. It was her and it was great to see her! She joined the practice this summer and I think she's a great addition. It's never easy to see the look on their face when they feel her spots, but I just hope they can learn and make a future parent feel at ease.

The stats

Weight 23.9 lbs (14%)

Height 33 in (27%) - not very accurate and all over the place on the chart, but growth and hey, she's finally outgrown her 12 month jeans!

Head 17.7 in (3%) - she has a small head...but it's growing and I just pray the smallness doesn't delay her surgery

She sees neurosurgery next week, her ENT the following week....then we should be appointment free for the next 6 months!

She met all of her milestones and we are ready to give up the whole milk and I think we'll go with skim. We need to set a better example and get Ella to drink milk at meals. I think I may shop for fun cups to become tradition for mealtime. She does follow example.....JOE!

We talked about potty training and I think we're moving closer. It will be very life-changing for our go-go-go family and I'm not sure right now is the best time, but we have time.

She hasn't climbed out of her crib yet and I think we'll leave her in the crib for now....unless her neurosurgeon scares me too much next week! I'm also NOT looking forward to that transition because she does sleep so well in her crib.

Potty training and/or transition to toddler bed advice anyone?

That's my girl!

Ella opened up this pillow/blanket that Nana Di made for her. It's intended for her dolls, but she thought it was soft and cuddly so she used it. She laid on the couch, asked me to cover her up and looked at the TV and said very clearly "FOOTBALL"! Adorable!

She goes for her 2 year appointment with her pediatrician today. I'm hoping I can get her to tell him "go hawkeyes" with little coaching when we arrive! He's an alumnus and will be so proud (as will I)!

Elmo Pumpkin!

We have not carved any pumpkins....we just haven't had time. I did find this set at Target and knew Ella had to have it! It took about 1.5 minutes to put it all together, but she is quite proud of it!

Love these pants!

I bought these last week when Gap sent out the 45% off the entire store email. It was an absolute disaster in the store because the email was intended for a select market and went to everyone. Utah was not supposed to get the email and the store was not ready! As I walked around the store in complete disarray and stood in line I regretted my choice to go at all. There was no one in the dressing rooms but every room was FULL of clothes.....I looked into 4 or 5 stalls to see if one had clothes my size.....but no such luck!

I did buy these pants and I love them! They look nice and they are machine washable which is a must in my life right now! They feel and look like dry clean only.....so we'll see how they fair a trip through the washing machine.

Great find and I may buy more when they go on sale!

It's my favorite game and I'll be at work!

I love the Iowa vs Wisconsin rivalry. I was at Costco today when random stranger said, "oh, you're a Hawkeye, you've got quite a game this weekend". I love it when people recognize the Hawkeyes! It's rare in the West and football is NOT the same here!

The Hawkeyes lose my husband as a fan on this day and I'm sure he'll find some red to wear in the short time I get to see him Saturday morning. I'll have to dress Ella at least!

Go Hawks! I'll be watching the score while I work.....

Vote if you want!

I forgot I had submitted this photo...

Vote for Ella to be on the cover of Utah Family Magazine!

This is my favorite summer photo of her!

Music Class

It's kindermusik, but I started telling Ella we were going to "music class" and it has stuck. We hadn't been the last 3 weeks because I work. When we arrived today I felt rather out-of-place....again! Then the "teacher" said, "so, does Ella go to a sitter when you work?". At this point I was very tempted to say, "no, we leave her at home alone"....but I kindly said, "yes". BUT I felt the need to add and did, "but only on Friday afternoon this week". She replied, "oh, I bet she is much happier when you are home with her". Seriously? She sucks!

YES! I am a working Mom and YES my child will survive!

The culture in Salt Lake frustrates me a lot. I am very different from many of the people I meet and people are very exclusive here. It's like a neon sign is going off above my head "working mom, only comes 6 out of 9 weeks....her child is out of control because of it"!

The good news is Ella was very excited to go to class. She participates more and more. She has not hit anyone in class for 2 classes in a row. She does however RUN around the room (distracting the flow) and today she fell twice....how do I slow this girl down?

I think we'll give ballet a go in the spring and give up on music class for a while.....

My child is destined to be a runner and gymnast....we'll get there someday! Joe claimed she did somersaults at the restaurant I mentioned in the last post!

California - Day 3

We were up early as usual and when the sun finally came up we headed out to the beach! It was cold so we went in clothes, but Ella could have put sand in and out of her bucket all day! The water was warmer than expected.

Lots of surfers....not quite the California Surfer dudes I expected, but they were all so nice to Ella as she said, "hi surfer"!

Pure joy and excitement! Too cold for swimming, but the heated pool at the condo was perfect while it was raining on us!

Is this really southern california? I'd have thought I was in the pacific northwest if it wasn't for the palm trees!

Fun, Mexican restaurant --- we had dinner here Sunday night. Looks like quite a night-life in the marina so close to our condo. We dreamed of future fun if we bring family with us next time to watch Ella! ***hint, hint!

Back to Legoland for a few hours. We think she was disappointed it wasn't Seaworld and Sesame Street Land! Walking in at 2:30 on a Monday afternoon -- it felt like we had the whole park to ourselves!

The pumpkin photo -- there were MOBS around this the whole day on Satuday!

More choo choo train!

More airplane -- getting braver!

We went through the aquarium as well that our ticket included. It was toddler oriented and nice that she could walk through and see everything from her level

Will she ever even know Star Wars? Makes me laugh....

Off to dinner at Karl Straus Brewery --- it's on the Legoland campus near a fancy hotel. These were the "sweet and stinky fries" sweet potato fries with gorgonzola. Both are right up my alley and it was AWESOME -- try it sometime if it's on the menu. I loved it with ketchup!

Ella did not love anything (not even the AMAZING mac n cheese). She threw her plate accross the room and then got to clean up the ketchup from the floor. Joe chased her around while I got our food to go.......mission dinner....FAIL! The beer and food were great and I would like to go back sometime!

The evening was gorgeous --- THIS looks more like southern cali!

Such a great ending to a wonderful trip! We will definitely be back!