Almost a big girl

Aubrey is really working hard for big girl status around here. She can undress herself, which is a good start, but she hasn't perfected the art of putting her clothes back on. However if you drop by unannounced, you will likely find her half dressed. She takes off her pants a lot and chills in her diaper and shirt. Well, until she takes off her diaper since it has pee pees in it. She has also been sitting on the potty several times a day. Unfortunately, she only sits. How do you teach a kid to pee anyway? I've read several different training books, and she seems to be getting there, but so far we have a dry potty and are going through several more diapers a day.

I think we will officially give it a shot when I get back from California and see if she is indeed ready. So far, it seems she knows she went to the bathroom. She has told me she had to poop twice before hand, but both times I thought she was attention seeking since I was feeding Ainsley. So maybe diapers are a soon to be memory. Then we just need to deal with getting her out of her crib!

No, not Jello Shooters!

I made my first batch of baby food today! Sweet potatoes.! Mike was a bit alarmed when the grocery list had three yams listed in it. He was glad to find out that we were splitting one with dinner and the other two were being used for baby food. The only down side is that I think I actually spent more than if I bought it pre-made. I pay about 11 cents per ounce for jarred food, and assuming each one of these cubes is an ounce, I paid more like 14 cents. AND IT ISN'T EVEN ORGANIC! How does Gerber do it so cheaply and still put it in a glass container? Oh well, it is still yummy and it is super easy.

I started making most of Aubrey's food once she was eating finger foods, so I never used a food mill or blender, just an electric food chopper I use for mincing onions. I decided to give it a go early on with Ainsley. Produce is pretty expensive in Colorado, so I may just buy things when they are on special and buy the fruits and veggies that are out of season, pre-squished. Who knows, but it was an easy thing to do while Mike was doing the dinner dishes! Oh and Aubrey wouldn't eat her portion of sweet potato with her dinner even though it was slathered with butter. BUT, when I was preparing Ainsley's tray of food, she freaked and wanted some. So she ate about three ounces of it for dessert. What a weird kid!

wouldn't you know it

the exact moment I started feeding Ainsley carrots she perfected blowing raspberries. Holy cow, her sleeper and bid are now speckled and I am afraid to look closely at my carpet. Well, the days of living room feedings are over my little one, you have retired to the kitchen and I now need to wear my own bib!

Ummm...

Ainsley started veggies about a week ago. I wouldn't go as far as to say she loves them, but she is tolerating them just fine. So far she has had sweet potatoes and squash. Aubrey has also sampled the food. I give Aubrey the leftovers. I know it is terrible, but the girl is fascinated with all things Ainsley and she wants to be included. So she gets the last two bites! I hope to make most of the veggies myself and then it won't be a big deal if big sis wants some too, but for now she is limited to the table scraps!
I've also given her prunes, they are really sweet and I was torn, but all that iron in the rice cereal had really had a toll on Ainsley. The problem was taken care of within the first tablespoon. Prunes rock! So Ainsley is a big kid now, eating solid meals three times a day! I do nurse her after each of those meals, so I am still indispensable, but before too long, my part in all of this will be over. Oh sweet... sweet... coffee, we will be together again soon!!! I do drink coffee on occasion, but I always regret it when I have a fussy sleepless baby for five straight hours!

Sisters

I think I took this one last Sunday. I had set Ainsley on the couch so I could read the mail and Aubrey jumped up to join her. She loves Ainsley so much! Ainsley is five months old now and Aubrey is starting to see the potential playmate in her. Aubrey tickles her, holds her, sits by her, and kisses her at least 20 times a day. I know it is scary to grow your family, wondering if there is enough love to go around, but there totally is! There is more love in our home than at any other point and we are so thankful for each other and the unique roll we each play in the Heldt family of four!
Ainsley spends most of her floor time on her tummy. I laid her on her back yesterday so I could make her cereal. Aubrey ran in the room and laid on top of Ainsley, who had already rolled over. I started cracking up, told Aubrey that she cannot lay on top of her sister (real convincing when you are laughing), then asked her to stay there for me to take a picture. Aubrey got off, came with me to get the camera and got back into position. If only she was as compliant at the portrait studio!
I was trying to get a picture of Aubrey kissing Ainsley, but she is a quick kisser. So I have a series of post kiss pictures. Ainsley has had about seven kisses at this point and is hoping it will be over soon! Sorry kid, I have a feeling there are many kisses to come!

I'm such a sap!

So I was watching Ice Princess while Mike was at worship practice tonight and I cried like a baby. The worst part is that I have actually seen it before, so I knew what was going to happen. Long story short, this high school student decides to pursue ice skating instead of Harvard and her mom basically freaks out and won't support her skating. So when mom comes around and shows up at the competition I lost it. Aubrey, who was ice skating around the living room for an hour, doesn't like it when her mommy cries. She started to get her quiver lip going and calling out daddy. I assured her through my sobbing that mommy was happy and people sometimes cry when they are happy too. I want to always be my daughters biggest fan and advocate, even if they choose a different path than I hoped for. I love my kids so much and can't wait to cheer for them at their events.

Question of the week

The Heldt ladies are taking a trip to Southern California in a few weeks to visit friends and family. I have found Frontier to be very kid friendly, but it will be interesting having Aubrey in her own seat and Ainsley in my lap. Aubrey may not like that so much. So my big question is...

What is a good strategy to keep a toddler entertained in an airport and then on a plane while taking care of an infant?


And don't say to bring daddy along. We'd love for him to join us, but someone has to work.

Chaotic Saturday

So Mike and I have been wanting a new couch since we moved out here (2 years ago tomorrow) and we just can't get the couch we want for a few more years, both because of price and leaky sippy cups. So we got creative yesterday. We switched the furniture in our living and family rooms. We also moved a few pieces completely out of the rooms and changed the art on the walls. It fells like two new rooms for the price of none. We also got to do some deep cleaning since we had everything away from the walls. It was a great way to spend the afternoon! Today Mike is off watching the Bronco's game with the worship team (the family was invited too, but no nap makes Aubrey a cranky kid and now I don't have to watch football) and then we are going to a friend's house for dinner.

Aubrey...

is 27 months old! How crazy is that? She is so loving and nurturing, a natural big sister and someday mom! She takes care of her monkey all day. Monkey gets fed imaginary rice cereal, rests in the swing, goes for stroller rides, wears a diaper occasionally, and takes long naps in Aubrey's crib with blanket, music box, a running fan, and the monitor needs to be on too. Today monkey even got a time out and was given a kiss after the punishment was over.

Aubrey is obsessed with owies right now. For the duration of the owie, it must be kissed and fussed over several times a day. She currently has a raspberry on her elbow and can't kiss it herself, this is frustrating for her and hilarious for Mike and I. She saw a pic of her cousins covered in red lipstick yesterday and was very sad saying "owie" scrunching up her face and saying "ohh"

She is rather phobic of bugs. This is huge. She is convinced that there are bugs in her book center and won't touch them. We went through it and found a pacifier clip that was a lady bug. We removed it and confirmed that there are NO bugs, not even fake ones. She doesn't care, the books are contaminated. Her room is decorated in bugs, and sometimes this causes a big problem. This morning it was her diaper that was the problem. Target changed their diaper design from care bears to bugs. She didn't want to put a diaper on this morning because it had bugs on it. I hope she grows out of this and doesn't need therapy.

She will drink out of any glass she finds. So be on the lookout for a glass bandit at our house. She also takes all empty plates and bowls into the kitchen and puts them on the counter. Occasionally she drops them in the sink, luckily she hasn't done this with anything glass. So there is my update on my big girl. I hope you enjoyed it! Oh, and we're trying to grow out her bangs to answer the question of the week from a long time ago.

Ainsley...

Here's what daddy does if left unattended! He tried to get a matching one with Aubrey, but she wasn't interested. So here are a few things about Ainsley.

She doesn't like nap time most of the time. She used to, now the cries with a shrill scream if you put her in her crib. I usually end up getting her because it is really loud. Aubrey has been trying it at her nap time too! Sheesh. She has added a feeding around 9:30pm. That's what I get for being a flexible parent and letting her roll with the punches while we were out of town.

She eats two heaping helpings of cereal a day and wants more. She is clearly hungry and ready for solids, so we are going to start orange veggies when she turns five months next week. Her diapers have changed now that she eats so much cereal. STINKY!!!

She rolls onto her tummy all the time, but rarely rolls back to her back. In fact, she can only get back on her back if her arm is wedged underneath her. She can also pull her knees underneath her body and pushes her legs back and forth. Who knows, maybe she will be an early crawler.

She is REALLY ticklish and cracks up if you tickle her at all. She also cracks up when Aubrey comes near her, assuming that fun times are ahead.

She sleeps on her tummy. I put her down on her back and she generally falls asleep while she is on her side. At some point, she wakes up enough to roll onto her tummy, sticks her thumb in her mouth and she is out!

What a fun kid she is to parent. I love my little ones and am so thankful for my life!!!

Beaver Creek, CO

Mike and I and Ainsley spent the weekend at the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek with a lot of other First Bank officers. It was a beautiful resort town nestled in the Rockies near Vail. We had a great time. We checked in Friday, around 4pm, and headed up to our room. It was fairly large with a cushy king bed, a table, another sitting area, and a balcony. There was plenty of room for the pack and play and all of the stuff we brought along. Our room overlooked the Rockies and a shopping village equipped with ice rink. The other side overlooked the pools and ski slopes. We headed down to the lobby around 5pm to catch a shuttle to dinner. As we stepped out of the shuttle we were greeted with glasses of wine, scallops, jumbo shrimp, and some sort of melon ball with meat on it. This treatment continued for an hour as well as an open bar. Ainsley literally hung out in her car seat at our feet. We had rib eye steak for dinner and apple crisp for dessert. We got back to our room around 10pm and settled in for the evening. Ainsley cried the whole way back because she was exhausted, I nursed her to sleep and she didn't stir until morning.
Saturday morning we headed down to the First Bank breakfast buffet and enjoyed some pasties, fresh fruit, bacon, and potatoes. There were eggs too, but they were not so enjoyable! After breakfast we took a walk around the village and let Ainsley enjoy a nice long nap in her stroller. We took a few pictures of us, and Beaver Creek. We found a statue that was hilarious. It was called Repentance, notice the arrow in the bears butt. We eventually made our way back to the room where I fed Ainsley and watched TV for little while. We met up with our friends the Adams' while out and about and headed over to lunch with Alicia while Scott went to get his massage. After lunch Mike and I headed over to the Spa for our massage appointments and Alicia graciously took care of Ainsley for us for a few hours. We each got a Swedish massage and loved it. It was so relaxing! I kept hoping the clock would break so I could stay longer. After our massages we found our kid, I fed her yet again, and we headed down to the pool. Mike and I soaked in the hot tub while Ainsley watched from her car seat. She got a little squeaky after a half hour so we went back up to our room and hung out. She took a nap on Mike, while he took a nap on the chair! We had dinner on site that night and enjoyed a Mexican Fiesta. Nothing really tasted the way I expected, but it was all good. Ainsley was a bit done with being carted around by this point and was a little fussy. She fell asleep on my lap during an Improv show, but would wake up whenever people clapped so I skipped out early and headed up to the room. She had a hard time staying asleep, so I let her sleep with us. She slept great, Mike and I did not...

Sunday morning we had another yummy breakfast and headed out to get Aubrey. We were greeted happily and with hugs and kisses! I was a little surprised. She did cry all the way home with her arms out yelling Mommy. So sad, she wanted me to hold her, but we were in the car. She had the same dramatic reaction to nap time and was a bit emotional all day. She has been hard today too, but I kinda expected as much. Ainsley is happy to be in her crib again and napped well all day! So thank you First Bank for a nice weekend away. The best part was that our only expense was gas money!!! There's nothing like spending about $1000 of someone elses money for 48 hours!

Last Friday

Mike woke up before the sun to drive his parents back to the airport. They had a full visit split between Castle Rock and a dear friend of theirs who lives in the Springs. They even took in a trip to the Colorado State Fair and an Air Force Academy Football game while away. It was great to see Aubrey love on them so much. She already knows what suckers grandparents can be and put them to work reading to her, taking her for walks, and putting together puzzles right away. Ainsley was also glad to be cuddled and loved by extra people too.

Back to Friday, after Mike took them to the airport he went to high school. He had to be there by 7:15 in the morning. Why was Mike at high school? Well, he is assisting a teacher with a class about running companies. I am so proud of my teacher/banker husband. This is a volunteer position, so no extra cash, but helping high school kids find their way is pretty rewarding all by itself!

Then, he came home around 9:30 and we finished up packing for his work retreat. Mike, Ainsley and I headed out around noon to Beaver Creek, Colorado for some rest and relaxation. I'll post about our weekend later in the week. Aubrey spent the weekend with our cousins in Highland's Ranch. It sounds like she had a great weekend too, including a trip to the zoo, dinner out, and Sunday school. It was great to get away and better to be back!

Labor Day Festivities

I kicked off the BIG weekend by having over some girlfriends for a fondue night. It was a lot of fun and a lot of calories, but totally worth it. I served a cheese and chocolate course and the guests brought something to dip. We had a good time chatting and getting to know each other better. The night began with a bad dumb blond joke. I was trying to light the gel for the pot and it kept getting snuffed out every time I put the pot on it. Lisa suggested we let the gel burn a while to heat up, it started to boil within moments. Rachael, who was reading the directions, commented that the picture was deceptive and made the pot look a lot higher off the stand. Jenna, using her deductive skills, suggested flipping the stand over and using it correctly. Problem solved. So, how many blonds does it take to light a fondue pot? Four, assuming Rachael tinkered with blond highlights at some point. I know the rest of have been blond during one point in our life! And I actually used the living room for the chocolate course and the dining room for the cheese course. And people say those rooms are wasted space!
Oh, and I pulled out the smores maker too. A few years ago I bought that to celebrate Erin's 25th birthday. She spent it with Mike and I watching Friends and was totally bummed that she was single spending her birthday with us, the next year she was a few days away from her own wedding on her birthday. God is good!
So back to the weekend. We had the traditional Labor day bbq, AND in traditional CO style, it started raining five minutes after Mike put the chicken on the coal bbq. Jerry wasn't going to let a little rain spoil happy hour, he just popped a turtle shell over his head and continued chatting. The rain got the best of all of us, and the chicken got transferred to the oven over an hour later. We were starving by the time it was all ready!
We wanted to take a family picture to capture the moment. Not pictured (Jerry taking the picture and Aubrey screaming her head off and thrashing about the floor! You gotta love a two year old). Oh well, next time. It was a great weekend and fun to spend it with people we love!

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Last last Tuesday, we headed down to the Springs and visited Cheyenne Mountain Zoo with Mike's parents. Now, I had only taken Aubrey to the Denver Zoo, and the Denver Zoo is bigger, has more animals, and flat, but it is a bit to get through when you are working around naps. I pretty much live in the middle, so it doesn't matter which one we visit. Well, we loved Cheyenne and will certainly go back. It is a great zoo for young children. We easily made it through in three hours and the giraffes were amazing. There were fifteen and they had a great enclosure. The best part was that you can feed them! Aubrey actually did this with Mike's nudging!

Seriously, the best 33 cents I've ever spent! It felt like Jenna's Dalmatian, Ella!
Way to go Aubrey, Mommy and Daddy are so proud!
Aubrey loved the big cat statue. Good thing it wasn't real!