Thanksgiving Break

My wonderful husband man was off work from Wednesday to Sunday. Imagine my excitement! Paid time off, you guys! Rafal hasn't had a days off since our wedding in July of 2011. And we did so much.

The Zoo.. well duh cause we have passes.

The beach... and guess which little toddler went swimming in the freeeezing water! On the way home I spoke about how lucky Ava is that she can swim in the ocean in November. We've got it good.

Grandpa fed us for Thanksgiving... I enjoy spending time with my grandpa so much. We talked a little about his time in the war and where he went. I always like to hear how he met my grandpa one Sunday in church. It saddens me to think that when he's gone, so are his stories.

Horse time... Ava cannot get enough of riding that ol' horse of my moms. She's a serious rider and if you ask her to get off, her replies are something like this "no, no, NO!"

Beach to the second power... Did I mention Ava loves to go swimming in the cold ocean? Ya, she does.

Greetings From The Santee Library

It came to my attention that I am poor that's why I do not have a cell phone or cable or any electronic 'nessesities'. If thats the vibe I am giving off, I appologize.

I am rich.

I have a forever home. I have a healthy child. And I have a husband who sticks by me and who is loving albeit in his own Polish way. It is these things I am thankful for.

Moving on.

I had the opportunity to meet Kelle Hampton. She blogs here. I've never been to a book singing before and let me just say, its no place for an antsy toddler. But I had a lot of fun and I hope you did too, Jess!

And while I was out meeting celebrities, a friend called the house (see, when you have one phone this is the good that can come out of it) and asked Rafal if he thought I would want to go to the Brad Paisley concert as she had a extra ticket. He knows of my love affair with Brad and country music in general and had already agreed to watching Ava before I even found out! It was so nice to be out with friends and listening to good music. And knowing that I had something great to come home too made the night so much better. Thanks to the special friend to invited me!

Hi Friends!

Let's start with the ever typical "I've been so busy, I haven't had time to update" slogan. But the truth is, I am NOT busy. I just disconnected my Iphone so there goes the Internet and all forms of blogging.

How is that going for me? Great! Really, it is. I loved my phone. I loved instagram and the E! app and facebook and much more. But there is something I love even more that was getting a little less attention due to the previously mentioned. Something being my sweet daughter. Plus, a cellphone bill is crazy expensive when you need to pinch your pennies.

On Ava. What a darling! She says Luh You when she's leaving or one of us is. She asks for help now when she deems assistance is necessary. She is putting more words together and can count up to 3. Sometimes 5 if she is serious. Counting the pumpkins on the porch is her favorite activity. She gives hugs and kisses galore and definitely has affection for her father. All mothers say this but its true, every stage is a fun stage and I'm loving it.

On a second baby. Not happening yet! Stay tuned.

Motherhoods Rewards

Reason number 686 why motherhood is trying and sometimes tedious but always worth it:

I sneeze and Ava said 'bess you'.

Melt my heart.

True That.

"there is no greater risk than matrimony.
but there is nothing happier than a happy marriage."

--benjamin disraeli, 1870

Highs and Lows

Lately, life has been a roller coaster ride. I've noticed it is a reflection of my mood. If I am in a good mood, then my husband is and then our marriage isn't suffering. Do you find that strange? Because I do.

I am guilty of letting to much get in the way of contentment. I find myself looking at how much more others have in comparison to what I have. That puts me in a bad mood. Since when am I living of the world and not just in it? Count your blessings, Bianca. You have a lot to be thankful for. I remind myself daily.

My husband and child deserve to be happy and I am known to dictate the happiness-meter in our home. And that's just not fair.

Dog Life

I am a dog person. You know those types of people. They let their dogs in the house. They talk to them as if they understand. They cuddle and kiss. That's me.

My first dog ever was Bingo. My mom waited until I was five to go to the pound. Since then, my family has always had dogs. My dad was even a K9 instructor for the Border Patrol so we had one of those super expensive, humongous German Shepards.

Anyways, while living in Sacramento, Rafal and I adopted Gunner. A pitt bull pointer mix. I am a firm believer of going to your local shelter and saving an animal's life but in all honesty you never know what you're going to get when you bring home a sheltered animal. That was the case with Gunsy. Gunner belongs to no one. He is his own best friend. He isn't loyal to me even though I treated him better than Rafal at times. But so sweet and if he likes you enough, he will cuddle (my favorite). When Ava was able to get around, I noticed Gunner hightailing it. And the ultimate heartbreak, he growled at her. My mom has him now permanently. He runs around like the free bird he is and still loves on me when I see him.

But! My life was just not hectic enough that I asked Rafal if we could get a puppy this time. A few days later, Penelope, a pitt/lab mix, joined out clan. Sweet yet rambunctious. Ava can climb, poke, prod and whatever else, Penny loves it. She stays close when we are outside. And seems to associate herself with our family! But how I found myself potty training a toddler and a puppy at the same time? I'll never know.

The San Diego Situation

If you follow this blog but live outside San Diego county, let me fill you in on what I do here. Or as I like to say, the San Diego situation. This is when the city comes alive for me. I don't like going to fancy restaurants, or to sporting events (seriously, I hate sports) and you definetly won't find me in the club.

We've been here instead:

Polish picnics
The bay
Viejas
The zoo (very San Diegan)
A different bay
Adopting animals
Another bay

Trauma, Life at Walmart

Yesterday, Ava cried at Walmart and so did I.

Here is what happened.

We were shopping on a normal Friday afternoon. Ava is a really good child. She sits in the cart like a wunderkind.  So I wasn't aware that she shoved her foot into the slot next to the alotted one. You know, the tiny, narrow slot that you can barley stick your finger in.

Needless to say, her foot was not coming out and it was getting red and puffy. I ran back into the store and was greeted with 'aww poor baby'. Let me tell you, I don't do well with people who aren't proactive and that's what I got with the Walmart employees. They tried prying her foot out themselves to which I asked them not to touch her as her foot was really swollen at this point.

A older tattooed biker gentleman noticed, actually everyone in the garden center noticed, and ran to get a crow bar and wrangled her foot loose. Thank you to my unlikely hero without whom my daughter probably would still be stuck in the cart at Walmart.

The following story has happened on more than one occasion.

Ava can tell me when she's hungry. It's the only sign language she knows. She puts her little fingers to her mouth and taps her lips. 

"oh, you are hungry my girl? what would you like o eat"

"i com" 

Ice cream. 

I think someone is missing her trips to the ice cream shop in Germany. I'll have to blog about the best italian ice cream in the world soon. 

And I promise Ava hasn't been eating I com for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

When The Wife Is Away...

The husband is sure to make a mess of the house.

I thought a lot about reuniting with my husband. In my head, was so romantic and very Nicholas Sparks-y. I had missed him so much. Everything was fine until we arrived to our humble abode  

Needless to say, Rafal tried his best to tidy up but my nerves got the best of me. When I opened my cupboard to get a drink of water and saw 30 new glasses shoved in there and my beautiful goblets hiding in he corner, I just cried.  It's a strange overwhelming feeling leaving your family, traveling for so long, being exhausted and just plain emotionally drained. Anything would have set me off at that point.

My Rafal may not be great at housekeeping and my bathtub can attest to that but that man knows his way around a saw. Ava's room is fitted with a brand new window and old one closed up. Thanks, husband! Soon baby girl will be sleeping in her own room.

Traveling

Today I am going to talk about flying with children. Let me give you the 'tricks and tips'.

There are none. 

Seriously.

Before we left, I read all kinds of blogs talking about how they ran off to NY and they did this and this so, heeding their advice, I packed a backpack with new books and toys Ava hadn't seen before. They worked for 5 minutes. If your child thinks she is the next Gabrielle Douglas (nice Olympic reference, eh) like mine does, then she is up and down the aisles 30 times over. Since Ava is under 2 years old, I wasn't required to buy her a ticket but that also means she doesn't have a seat. Can you imagine holding a wiggly worm on your lap for a 10 hour flight? Thankfully, a flight attendant noticed our plight and gave us those nice bulk head seats in front. 3 of them. Ava was able to stretch out and sleep for a few hours.

If you plan on taking a obscenely long flight like I did, bring the following: a portable tv and your mom.

Hi friends.

A little update on life across the pond. My Oma is cooking up a mighty delicious lunch which I cannot be late for.

Quick Facts on Deutschland:

*Not at all baby friendly. Seriously. Restaurants will make it hard to accommodate you and your wily toddler but I will force myself in. Don't you worry. Also, stores are closed on Sundays. All day. So if you happen to run out of diapers, have fun running around to every gas station on the outskirts of town looking for cheap diapers. So. Not. Ideal.

*Ava poo poos 4 times a day. Some might think this is TMI but I don't care. Tell me if you have a child that goes number 2 this much. That is NOT an infant. Its fun when I announce Ava's stinky and my Opa jumps up and runs to the window with his mouth covered.

Ill be back. But right now, tasty dumplings are calling my name. 

Photo number 1. Ava's new tent from where else? Ikea. She likes it but as this picture goes to show, no matter what toys you buy for your child, they still want to play with forbidden things. (Rafal forbade her to play with the DVDs, not me)

Photo number 2. Puzzle night. We stayed up until 10ish trying to figure out this puzzle. Im kind of sad we won't be working on this together much longer. I wonder if Rafal will finish it while I am gone. That's the man's beer. He's the drinker in the family.

Photo number 3. Ava eats beach sand. It's best not to go to the beach with an aversion to sand because a toddler will throw it on you, in your bag, and all over your food.

Photo number 4. I am so thankful to have the husband I do. I don't know of another man who has enough patience to put up with my antics. Also, Ava has him wrapped around her finger. Too cute to watch these too.

Review and Preview

It's been a min since my last post and for those of you who have missed this glimpse into my life, I apologize. Basically, I'm referring to my mom! 

I have settled in quiet nicely into the Lakeside abode. There is an abundance of dirt and cows and all things that go along with living in the country. I enjoy living with my husband once again except I forgot about how high maintenance he is. He expects a clean house and a home cooked dinner every day. I mean. The audacity of this man who works 40+ hours a week and goes to the park with Ava and I daily to request such a thing. I still try to keep myself busy with mom and tot play dates and I've been known to just hang out at Barnes and Noble and let Ava go wild in the kid section. And go wild, she does. 

We are in the midst of preparations for our travels to Germany. We are writing up a letter allowing me to take Ava out of the country. Rafal has refused to sign this on numerous occasions as he feels she won't remember him. "Ava is going to forget me when you're gone." He'll say gloomy, sometimes out of no where. "Probably, but she'll remember you again when she sees you." is usually my response. I am getting all of our financial affairs in order since Rafal has to take over bill paying and Gunner is coming to stay with Rafal while we are out of town. I worry for Gunner that he won't get enough exercise thus rendering him miserable. I remind Rafal constantly to be good to him and run him every day. Some may think this is a little extreme, but I'm a dog person and Gunner has my heart.

Ava is getting signed up for swim lessons at a local public pool. I don't think she knows it, but it will be loads of fun. What toddler doesn't love splashing around in the water? The lessons are right before we leave for Germany so I hope to keep up progress at the public pool over there. Thankfully, I found myself a nice one piece bathing suit so I am able to accommodate my wee one and not scare off other children and/or adults. 

I must also apologize for lack of pictures on this post however any pictures I would have to show have already been uploaded to my instagram feed and redundancy has never been my thing. 

Until next time.  

This morning, I woke up in Lakeside. With my husband. I kissed him before he went off to work. Ava still asleep, I made a cup of coffee. I sat on my couch which found its forever home in my living room versus my bedroom. It was devine. How amazing something so simple can make me feel at peace.

I starting moving furniture from our bedroom into the living room yesterday while the husband was at work. I knew if I waited for Raf, he would say no. I started going crazy having everything crammed in our bedroom about 6 months ago. While some people enjoy having a tv in their bedroom, I'm over it and I hated seeing my couch in the corner which my theory is that Rafal only liked it there so he could throw his dirty work clothes on it. Men...

Anyway, I will be moving in soon. Like when someone can move my big armoire and bed frame over.

Hopefully I can update soon from computer and I can show pictures of the kitchen. My pride and joy!



The house is 90 percent finished.

It is hard sometimes to mesh our lives together. I'm talking about my husband and I. Specifically religion. You see, I am LDS and Rafal is technically Catholic but is known to call himself Atheist. He's not. I just don't by it. Anyways, there is a lot that goes into being a Mormon. I will stand by my beliefs to my dying day. I've seen it bring light into my life during the darkest time. That being said, it's hard work. Well, I never really understood how hard I it would be sharing my life with someone who doesn't have the same beliefs as I do. I don't mind that my husband isn't LDS but when I try to explain why I feel some things are wrong, I feel like it falls on deaf ears. What do you mean I can't drink Jack Daniels? Why am I not aloud to have a cigarette when I'm stressed? Why can't I watch Spike TV? Just cause babe, its not right. You see how this can pose some problems. But when it comes to Ava, we have some very similar beliefs. We both want her to grow in a nurturing and clean environment. A few nights ago, we rented a seemingly innocent blockbuster comedy. A few minutes in, the movie took a turn for the worse. Every other word was a cuss word along with very suggestive content. It didn't take long for Rafal to ask to to turn it off since Ava was also in the room with us. It made me happy. We are both clear that Ava will grow up in the church and Rafal supports that. Maybe one day he will willingly come too.

If you think I vanished from the blog world, you are right. My computer is still on the fritz and personally have to intention of fixing it. So, I am at the mercy of my mom's memory as she brings her laptop home for me to use. She usually forgets remembers. Thanks, Mom!

Let's rewind to the rodeo. I think thats where we left off. Let me tell you, it sucked. All it was, was one huge party. While that may sound like fun to the general east county population, not to us. People kept walking in front of our seats... the whole time... to get beer... the same people. I told about 30 El Cap High School kids to get out of our way and stop engaging in underage drinking. Rafal did the same but to the old people. What I thought was amusing however, was how many times my poor man got knocked in the head with a fake Gucci bag (he got the aisle seat). After the 5th time, I had to laugh. I complained. No one cared. We left early. Rafal said that he would take us to a real rodeo in November. Cattle Call. We'll see.

Moving on to Ava. She likes to feed herself with a fork. Meaning, she has better table manners then her dad. She can imitate a cow and horse which includes a lot of spit. She pulls up her dress in church and shows off her belly button. It sounds like she's saying baby. Really. At a friends house, she pointed to my friends stomach and said baby. She means belly button but we all thought it was great. She tries to say Gunner. It comes out Ga Ga. Thats our dog. She wants to hug him but he turns the other way as soon as he sees her. She is walking a lot now just not inside the house. Thats crawling territory. She hugs and kisses. She likes to play in water. She can point to her ear, eyes, nose and mouth. She loves to play ball and excitedly shouts, Baaww! She loves Lora and Amanda, friends of ours. And Oma. Oh, she loves her Oma. She literally screams at the door if we aren't able to go play outside. Can't I make breakfast first, Ava? I still haven't gotten her off her paci yet. Just during nap times or if we are at a fancy restaurant where a paci was a life saver. I love having Rafal with me during these events. He lets me eat and talk and he takes over baby duty. Rafal just adores her. We both do.

On the house. You guys! The tile is done thanks to my fabulous hard working beautiful man of a husband! We also bought a stove. And the counter top. The stove is an electric flat surface and I love it. I found it online at the Sears Outlet store in Oceanside, called them up and they delivered it 2 days later. It was a great deal. We decided on butcher block for the counter top. Mainly because of our budget but I also like the look of it against the white cabinets. Ikea sells the wood in slabs and it needs to be cut, installed and treated. We are just waiting on the sink, which is sold out until further notice. Right when Ikea got on my good side! Because the counter top needs to be cut to perfection and since the sink is really heavy, we are hiring a professional to finish the kitchen.

This weekend, we'll be in Lakeside painting the crown molding. Things are really moving people.

Weekend Update

Going into this past week, I felt happy since I got an extra dose of my husband. Monday came, he went back to work, and the blues set in. Maybe being a stay at home mom has become a little mundane for me. I highly dislike staying home all day. Cabin fever sets in and I start feeling really bad for myself. Don't get me wrong, I count my blessings every day. Beautiful baby, healthy family, steady job, loving husband.. I've got it all. But being confined to this house, to this small town, my mind goes wild.

So, I packed up our stuff and wanted to make a day of it. Well, Ava didn't want to leave the drive way. Literally. She wanted to play in the drive way. That child. I love her so. I felt a little guilty that I needed this grand adventure of people and sound and noise and all Ava wanted to do was play in the drive way. Children have a way of making small things so beautiful. So that's what we did.

Baby jeans are my favorite.



Also, its my favorite time of the year. You guys, its time for the Lakeside Rodeo! I wait all year for April to come. I haven't missed a rodeo in years. When I lived in Sac, my niece and I went to the Folsom Rodeo which surprisingly is very country. Growing up in Brawley, I dreamed of being Cattle Call Queen. My mom reminded me I needed to have/ride a horse and that shattered that dream quickly. Anyways, Rafal being the Eastern European cowboy he is, is also excited. He already promised to come wearing a tough enough to wear pink polo! My man. Come Saturday, you will find the Siders Olkiewicz family in their rodeo best (only Ava has boots, though) eating nachos, and watching some bronc riding.

And, finally, the cou'de gra.

Ava walking!

Untitled from bianca siders olkiewicz on Vimeo.

Please ignore our cackling. We will do anything to make her happy!

Weekend Bliss

Oh, wait.. I meant to write Weekend Misery.

Seeing as Rafal has the weakest immune system coming from the behind the Iron Curtain, it was no surprise we all came down with a bad case of soar throats and weak bodies. Rafal passed out after his 10th cup of tea (strawberry herbal tea from Fresh N Easy is the bomb) but I had the baby to tend to so my night was a little bit more daunting. Ava slept with my mom in her luxurious posturepedic memory foam anything else that makes this bed fancy bed because Rafal was spreading all sorts of germs in my bedroom. To top things of, it snowed in the mountains so that means Ava is couped up like a caged koala and just jumps from one person to another. (Rafie let me take a nap while he tended to Ava, much appreciated and earned points on the husband front)

Yesterday, Ava had her Dr. ordered xrays. I am skeptical of xrays as there seems to be something new each day on the telly saying how xrays cause cancer and all sorts of nonsense. So, checking her in, I asked the head honcho lady how serious is this and could I decline this xray? She said that since its for delayed walking and checking for hip dysplasia, I have to do it. Those were her exact words. Hip dysplasia. Oy Vey. Talk about something I am not even acknowledging at this point. I know there many reasons why I should have declined the rays. I should have told her pediatrician that I will work with her on my own and that it will happen when it happens. You can tell me all the adverse effects of letting that machine take an image of my baby. And that babies are different, not to worry. I know all of this. I am just going to say:

I trust Ava's Pediatrician.

I am doing the best I can.

My mom had to hold Ava down with the guard vest strapped around her. In the slight chance I could be pregnant, the tech told me to stand on the other side of the window. When I told my mom she had to hold her due to this technicality, she gave me the most horrified look. You could be what??? I mean, ya Mom... uh... I could be. I am not pregnant. Not that I know of. We aren't trying. Mainly, because I don't like that word and all the pressure it brings. If it happens, it happens. But just as a precaution, I won't be exposing my uterus to radiation. Unless it's the sun.

The xrays went well. We will know more soon. I'll keep ya posted.

Moment Of The Week.

It takes only a few things to keep Ava happy. One being dirt and the other being sunshine. That being said, I do get bored sitting outside in our yard looking at the same boring tree and dead patchy grass. So, however often I feel less lazy than normal, we walk to the park (usually we drive). We ate lunch, put on our shoes and socks, lathered sun screen on the baby skin, put hair in pony tail, filled up water jugs, threw extra wipes in diaper bag, gathered up the small toys to make the house seem a bit cleaner (those of you readers who don't have children, this is usually the ritual before we can walk out the front door) and when all was said and done, Ava crawled in my lap and fell asleep. We both reclined and took a long nap instead. Some may call this lazy, I call this luxurious.

You guys, I thought I would be a lot more technologically savvy but no. Please exuse this posts' lack of pictures. If you'd like to see the many, not varied because I only take photos of my baby pictures, then help yourself to my instagram feed at biancasidersolkiewicz. It's pretty cool.

Well, Ava had her follow up appointment on her walking. Her Dr. declared that she indeed had made progress but was concerned that Ava is very hesitant. She is. She only wants to walk with my hands and that means both of them. If I try to take one way, it's basically like releasing the crackin. (Raf and I have conceded that Ava is a ligit diva. But that's ok cause she gets it from her mama) But when Ava walked to grab the tags clipped on the doctor's pants, she enthusiasticaly said, oh if she wants to then she'll let go. Ya, those pediatricans catch on fast. So, after discussing forward facing carseats and how not to use one until 2 years AND 35lbs, she said that she wanted X-rays of Ava's hips just to make sure everything is working properly. So to radiology, we will go.

Can I just say how much we adore our little Avechen. I am so thankful for her. And this is how I see my daughter: genius. Seriously, she's brilliant. I am thinking about having her tested to see if Mensa will accept her. She would be the youngest member by far but with the most contribution. No, honestly. I want her to know that she's brilliant and can accomplish much more than her mom and dad combined. She knows how to hug. When she wraps her tiny arms up around my neck, I don't ever want to let go. See? Genius.

Things are good with the man and I but this week was harder than others. I don't know about you but marriage is no picknik. And if you do have the perfect relationship, then obviously your spouse is not a foreigner. I feel that a relationship needs constant attention and effort. If you are not willing to work on it, then don't get married. I'm lucky in the sense that I adore my husband. Next to my own self, he's my favorite person. Therefore, I don't like seeing him unhappy or stressed or feeling like I could be doing more for him. With that being said, partnerships are hard. We share everything. And sometimes one of us can do something idiotic that upsets the other one of us. I personally do not like relinquishing control and that is something I need to be consciencenious about and work on. But still, with all my faults and shortcomings, my husband is lucky. I did in fact give him the most beautiful daughter in the world.

Back On Track.

Oh, dear. That last post was ugly. Just all over the place and not up to my full potential. My apologies. As it were, our technical team is gearing up for changes. We've ditched the ol' computer and are strictly mobile now. Except the Blogger app is worthless as I cannot see any sort of layout. We're working on that.

Lately, things have been moving for us. Rafal decided he didn't want the burden of the Danger Ranger as he called it and sold his truck. The good wife I am, just nodded my head and gave him the documents he needed. He plans on getting a bike as in bicycle. Really, I'm just nodding my head. Bless his heart.

The house is coming along. I'll leave it at that.

                                      



In The Interim.

My computer is broken. A little piece that has some thing to do with the charger or battery is missing. I don't know much or anything at all about computers. Luckily, Rafal bought the iPhone so as I'm learning the ropes on this device, let these instagram pictures hold you over.

Assize Of Bread And Ale.

A stay at home mom's claim to fame can often be baking. It's true. It started back in the middle ages when housewives took their dough to the town's gigantic oven and the baker tended the oven and baked their bread for them. This is me in our house. My mom asked me to make cookies for some school function and Rafal loves rice crispy treats so I wanted to treat him.

Ava likes taking the contents out of pantries. See how I baby-proofed the cupboard that she isn't suppose to get into? That's called improvising.

Her mess.

My mess.

Yes, my crispies are green. I had extra coloring from when I made St. Patrick's Day sugar cookies. These are delicious!

Picture Of The Week

So let me set this one up for you.

We're at my friend Amanda's house warming party. She and the man in her life bought this gorgeous house in the Descanso area. It was pouring rain so everyone was inside eating, drinking, and partaking in merriment. Everyone including Amanda's cat, Dak. Dak is infamous for being not so friendly to humans as he likes to bite and claw. But Ava didn't mind. Once she layed eyes on the kitty, she made it clear she wanted to play. Surprisingly, he was a friendly feline to my girl.

Here they are together. Girl and Cat, enjoying each other's company. Longing for the great outdoors. Dak would paw at the door, wanting out. Ava would knock on the door, mimicking him. Then she wanted to take his paw in hopes he would scratch the door once more! Oh, people seemed to enjoy this short lived friendship!

Props to Amanda who took this picture. You see, I was helping myself to the food at this time and watching from afar!

Mother Nature Rears Her Ugly Head

Once again.

My poor, poor Ava. If only she had a mother who liked sloshing around in the icy, frigid snow. But she doesn't. So the better part of her day will look like this. Still in her pajamas because they are the most comfy and warm. Trying to keep her away from the fire place. Watching her feed her snacks to the dogs. Listening to Michael Buble. Walking with her around the house. Giving her plenty of kisses.

Screwed Up The Match Up.

Referring to my last post about the kitchen cabinets and how they are so blatantly mismatched, my mom and I (more like my mom) made a big stink at the store about how this is a huge mistake and they must fix it at once! My mom wanted them to give us a 1000 dollar credit and granite counter tops. Basically, she wanted them to finish our kitchen for us!

As per their policy, the lady who sold us the cabinets and a rep from the cabinet company itself (these big chain stores don't actually make the cabinets, they contract through another company) wanted to come out and do a inspection. My mom, Rafal and I were all planning what we will demand for this catastrophe and we were all in agreement that it better be a good chunk of money or they fix it for free.

So, the ladies came. And took of a door from the upper row and put it next to a door from the lowers.

And what do you know?

They MATCHED!

The lighting in the house is just so ascew that it appeared as if the kitchen cabinets were two distinctly different colors. I don't want to pull the picture, you can see for yourself in the post prior.

Anyways, you would think I would be embarrassed but no, more like relieved that we won't have to rip into anything or delay any more projects.

It's back to laying tile as usual for Rafal!

Little Things.

This past week was ugh for us. It was a mix of highs and lows and loud voices and baby cries and sleepless nights and eating burgers and lots of Emergencee and my husband telling me to calm down.

First it was the pediatrician visit and the 6 shot debacle and then fact that jalapenos peppers made me totally sick (it might have been because I ate 7 bacon wrapped cheesed stuffed penos). Oh, I seriously thought I was dying and Rafal's response was I tried to help you out (with the baby) a little bit. Any other mothers feel like their house and baby look a little disheveled when they are sick? Luckily, my mom steps in and picks up what I'm puttin' down.

Anyways, for a few nights, Ava refused to sleep. Like crying every time she was layed in her crib and tossing herself around in our bed until she passes out down by our feet. I feel for her. She is living like a vagabond as we stay in Lakeside 2 nights a week when I have class and maybe another night on the weekend when I may feel so inclined to see my husband. I keep thinking that this is only temporary and soon she will have her own, beautiful room.

Then Rafal started laying the kitchen tile which is always arduous, back-breaking work. And I feel for him also. He ended up laying 3 tiles before I begged him to take us to the park (my poor man, he has so much to do and he always makes time for his needy wife)! We went to Shadow Hill park which is quite lovely with kids and babies galore. I ended up leaving my cell phone on a park bench and when I finally realized it, I thought it was a goner. But a fellow park goer and good samaritan found it and is holding on to it until my husband (another thing he has to do for me) is able to pick it up!

Then, when we return home, I was standing in our kitchen and my stomach dropped. I called for Rafal and asked quite frantically Do you notice our upper and lower kitchen cabinets are two different colors? He looked at me then looked at the cabinets and replied Ohhh, ya... they are! The uppers are cream and the lowers are white. I could have just cried. Let me say, the cabinets were delivered on Feb. 14th and packing slip clearly stated we have 7 days to inspect each box and make any returns or adjustments during this time. Rafal and our contractor (who is not cheap) put up the cabinets over two weekends and did not notice the slight color difference. No one noticed. Not me, not Rafal, not my mom, not our contractor, not anyone who came over. I feel so dumb because now when I look at the cabinets, it's all I can see. So now, we are the process of dealing with the company who sold us the cabinets (who I won't name because I didn't have a good experience with them) and either getting new uppers or a nice refund (personally, I would like matching cabinets. This will bug me for the rest of my life). Of course, they blame us for not noticing it when we were installing them and that doesn't sit well with Rafal since he installed them! Honestly, this breaks my heart. We are trying so hard to make this house beautiful in a significant about of time and this is just a disheartening set back.



See? It's so obvious!



The rest of this post is the reason why we are still smiling. Rafal and I are completely taken with Ava. She is a reflection of our love. She is our soul.



Ignore my finger. I'm a novice.





Nakie Butt!





                                              Love.



Walk This Way

This week Ava had her 14 month appointment. I know, there is no such thing. It's either a 12 month or 15 month but this is how scheduling at her pediatrician works (or doesn't work).

Oh, you missed her 12 month vaccinations so we'll just double up with her 15 month set. Says her Dr.

Anyways, we talked lengthily about how Ava is not walking yet. She really has no desire. My theory is that Ava is a diva and would rather be held or knows she has perfected the crawl and doesn't mess around when she wants to go some where. But the pediatrician was rather concerned for a lack of a better word and gave me a few pointers to get this baby a walkin'. Ditch the walker and get one of those push toys being her main point of advice. I agreed. I don't necessarily mind that she isn't walking as I am firm believer on letting babies do and venture on their own however, I want her to keep up when it pertains to her development milestones.

So then the nurse came in with the tray of shots. By the way she was a mess at this point (she had fallen asleep in my arms and when the Dr. and her 3rd year med school trainee tried to wake her to check her diaper and leg muscles... you should have seen the melt down!)

She will be getting six shots today.

Um, WHAT?  Six?

I felt helpless. I don't like vaccinations. I feel off about them but I don't know enough to decline them which is what enevitably I would like to do. I only know what I 'hear' from other people which is foolish to base my opinion upon. I know that there are links to Autism but also they have been disproven. So I let her get the shots. I held her against me as she sat on the table (as the nurse suggested) and she got 3 in each leg. It felt so wrong but I couldn't speak up. I told Rafal about the 6 shot ordeal and he swore that she'll never get a shot again. He has no problem denying vaccinations and said that next time, he will go in there with me. (We all know that's not happening as he can get quite rude when it comes to his daughter. Talk about daddy lion protecting his cub)



As of now, Ava is current on her shots and we will keep getting them until I feel comfortable declining them.

And we are helping her along with her push toy.



See my hand? This is totally the type of mother I am.



Ava's Statistics

                                                  

                                                Weight: 20.3 lbs.              25 percentile

                                                Height: 30 1/4 in.              60 percentile



Ava's Adventures.

In Ava Land, spending time with Oma is the norm but last week more than usual. We (momma & poppa) had to run to home improvement stores as the house renovations are really starting to pick up now and a two seater truck is needed. Oh, how I long for the days when family time isn't a trip to The Home Depot, BTW. When with Oma, Ava spends a lot of time outside, in the dirt, eating it.

On a warm afternoon, we are all about Viejas. Outdoors with food and a baby store where Ava always gets something from Oma. What a sweet lady. We also went on a mission to find ice cream that was so rich and decadent that our stomachs later hated us for (I actually had to throw mine away, which my mom wasn't happy about).



Her first ice cream cone experience.

Tired baby in her car seat.