A Calm in the Eye of the Storm

Not sure what it is about today, but I have a feeling that the string of bad luck is not yet over. Today was unusually calm though. We had no catastrophes and though Jayden was typically Jayden and Eliana was acting a little different, it seemed like a pretty good day.

Jayden has a bit of a rash on his rear...we think it is scratched from the diaper rubbing it and then he scratches it and it looks worse. I put some Hydrocortesone on it to make it feel better. So he bumped his leg and to make it feel better he squeezed about half the tube of cortesone on it. He got it EVERYWHERE! But, all in all, not a disaster...just a big mess.

It was a cold day in hell!

Yep! Yep! The bad news continues here at Lake Stahl. Well, it's not all bad. Dave managed to fix the kitchen sink and we have agreed to move in with my parents. So that's the good part. But, because we have dilly-dallied so much on the work we are doing, our permit expired. We are supposed to have an inspection at least once every 180 days in order to keep the permit active. But, Dave in his infinite wisdom, tried to save money and wanted them to inspect it all at once (it costs $100 every time they come out) and he waited too long. So, Dave has to go downtown tomorrow and renew the permit then get an inspector out here. In the meantime, we need to pack to move out.

In other news, I went to the park today thinking that it would be nice to get some fresh air and let Jayden run around a bit. Well, the fresh air was nice, but GOOD GOD IT WAS COLD! And, to top off my day, I took a wrong step and twisted my knee. I am in a lot of pain right now, but it seems to be subsiding throughout the day and I suspect it will disipate altogether in the next couple of days.

Enough of today's episode of "You're in hell and you can't get out!" Tune in next time and find out if the Stahl family can find the hidden escape pod.

If things can go wrong....

They still will! After all that has happened so far, one might think that the reign of hell is over. BUT, NO!!! Tonight as I was making dinner, I stepped into a puddle of water. Hmm...how did that get there and why is it getting BIGGER???? The frigging pipes under the kitchen sink separated from eachother and water was leaking EVERYWHERE! Yes, Lake Stahl is located under my kitchen sink! Lifejackets required; no lifeguard on duty!

Other than that, Eliana's dr. appointment went well yesterday. She is healthy save for a yeast rash that we need to get ointment for. Her height (26.5 inches), weight (17.5 lbs--seems to have dropped a bit), and head size (43 cm) are all in the 75th %ile. Dr. A says she is big and healthy but won't necessarily be a tub-o-lard when she gets older, so stop worrying Lynda! She is such a chunk that I get concerned. I was nothing but skin and bones but largess runs in my family.

Everything else is going same as before. Perhaps with the exception of our plan to rent the neighbors' house. We are seriously considering camping out at Casa de Kaminsky (my parents' house) instead of spending needless $$ on rent. Bummer, though, I was rather hoping for all the super amenities of the ExtendedStay Deluxe. Oh well...not my luck, ya'know?!

Things haven't changed much around here, but yesterday was fun. I had a Pampered Chef party (presented by my cousin--well, my husband's cousin's wife--Katie) here at the house and we had a good time. I am lookig forward to seeing what neat litle gadgets everyone ordered! They will be delivered to my house....OH GOSH! I hope the roof is still on when they get here! I just thought of that!

Anyway, as for all the things in my last post, there is no advancement on those issues....including the rain. It was coming down in sheets last night. Today is beautiful, but it's very wet outside. I don't know if it is going to stay nice or start raining again. Nor do I know if they guys are coming out to work today. I am not really sure what they need to be doing before the roof comes down, so, I leave it up to them.

Eliana goes to see Dr. Armstrong today for her 6 month checkup. I suspect all will go well. I don't have many concerns. She is growing very well...I can tell by her height and weight! She is every bit of tank that Jayden was at that age. I am concerned a bit by her inablility to sleep through the night, but I guess I am just unlucky that way. And the other thing I want to ask about are her eyes. She seems to be a little cross-eyed. I thought that should have straightened out by now. Oh well, we will see what he says!

Here's hoping today is a good day!

Murphy's Law is in Effect!

Yes...If it can go wrong, it will! As of yesterday, the compressor for our air conditioner was frozen over, the furnace wasn't working, the T1 went down, there were termites searching for a new home in our bathroom (since their old home was disturbed by the stucco removal), Dave's tooth is broken and may need a root canal, one of the two lamps in my kitchen is not functioning, the neighbors are asking way too much for their house to rent (but we will probably do it anyway) and they don't allow pets (what are we going to do with Shayna?), and Jayden threw up all over himself and his carseat and my car yesterday on our way to get pictures taken.

Yep! Fun times around here!

Oh yeah!! And it's RAINING!

Amendment--Not 30 minutes after the original posting of this message, we got a call from our bank. Someone has accessed our online information and stole $19,000. Yes...there is more going wrong still...How much more can the Stahl Family take? Tune in next time with "You're in hell and you can't get out!"

Bang Bang Bang goes the Hammer!

Well, construction did not begin on Monday as planned. Rain poured from the sky for two days before the sun broke through and dried up the air! Bright and early this morning, the crew showed up and now it's "BangBangBang goes the hammer! Crunch crunch crunch goes the stucco!" They are ripping the stucco off the side of the house. I am going to be living in a mess of tarp and mud! :(

Still no answer from the owner of the house next door. We are hoping to rent his house for a couple of months, but we can't seem to get him on the phone. All we have is a voicemail number. He has to be around though. He had workers over there for the last couple of days.

Well, here's to construction! :-)

Wow! What a busy weekend we have had! It was a whirlwind of activity and we are all pooped! Jayden went down for a late nap today around 4ish and slept until 7 when we forced him to wake up. He nibbled a little and had a glass of juice, but at his normal bedtime, he was asking to go to bed. He was really tired. I hope he is well and just tired and not sick. I guess we will find out soon enough though. Ellie had a nice long nap today too. I hope she goes to bed soon and decides to sleep all night. It will be nice to get ourselves on a regular schedule again.

Ahh well...it will just have to wait. We have construction starting tomorrow....

Life's a beach!

Today we went to the beach! What fun! We drove out to Capitola and spent some time soaking up the sun and the wind and the waves. Jayden had a blast running in the sand, collecting rocks and shells and sticks, and playing in the water. Grandma Tess had tons of fun taking pictures and more pictures and more pictures! Eliana enjoyed hanging out in Aunt Katie's and Uncle Wes's arms. I enjoyed not being the one to have to chase the toddler and hold the baby! :)

After we spent a good amount of time on the beach freezing our little butts off, we had lunch/dinner at Paradise Beach Grill. The food was good, but the service was seriously lacking! We must have been there for 20 minutes before the waitress started to bring out drinks and I never did get mine! I had to remind her that she didn't bring it. Then, she brought me a dirty glass....and the replacement drink was ALSO IN A DIRTY GLASS! You would think that she would have paid particular attention to the second glass! Oh well, like I said...the food was good.

We strolled past the stores where Aunt Katie bought Eliana the cutest bathing suit! Like she needed it! When I get her in it, I will take pictures and post for your "awwww" ing pleasure.

The day must have been quite stimulating for both kids because even though they were exhausted, they didn't sleep on the ride home. Eliana screamed all the way home. I think she just didn't like her carseat, but she may have been hungry. If so, she surely didn't eat as much as I would have expected when we finally got home. And, Jayden talked all the way home! He did get quite whiny at times, but it was hard to relax with Ellie carrying on so and his carseat in the truck is not very comfortable. Needless to say, we were all glad to be home.

Dave gave Jayden a bath while I let Ellie get some exercise (she was held almost all day!) in her jumpy chair and on the floor. Then, Jayden, desperate to get some TV time, fell asleep on the couch and I just put Eliana down in her bed. I hope they sleep all night! Dave and I are still up, but I don't think we will last much longer! At least, I won't!

Hopefully, pictures tomorrow!

Here fishy, fishy, fishy, fishy!

Yesterday we had a really big day! Because Dave's brother and his wife came to visit, we went to the aquarium. That always makes for a big day for us. I don't really know why it takes ALL day, but it does. Anyway, we made an early start at 9:00am for breakfast with the gang. Jayden sat next to Grandma Tess and Uncle Wes and Aunt Katie played with Ellie. Then we piled up in the cars (girls in one and boys in the other) and headed down to Monterey.

The aquarium was not very crowded except in the area with the little kids place ... splash zone I think they call it. Jayden was not terribly interested in the touch pools. He did like to look, but he didn't want to touch anything and the more everyone asked him if he wanted to, the more he DIDN'T want to. We all enjoyed the Jelly Fish display (which I understand is leaving in August) and the shark exhibit was nice. The best part was the tuna tank with the sea turtle. He was just hanging out at the window and giving us all a really nice view of him. It was a surprise because every other time I've been there, he has been really elusive.

I remember that the last time we took Jayden down to the aquarium, he was calling all the animals "shee-shees" because he couldn't wrap his tongue around the "f" for "fishies" and had a very limited vocabulary. Yesterday, he was trying out all the words, "Jellyfish, tenticles, shark, turtle, kelp, crab, penguin..." He was a veritable library of marine vocabulary.

After lunch at the FishHopper (at the end of the pier on Cannery Row), Katie, Eliana, and I visited the silver shop (they have some really pretty things there), while the others went down to the beach. Jayden managed to get soaked to his waist so we stripped him down and wrapped him in my sweatshirt. He stayed there nice and snug for all of 5 minutes until we got to the candy store and he just HAD to get out! He was the cutest thing running around the store in his diaper and filling up his bucket with candy. I wish we had gotten a picture of that!

Speaking of pictures....since Jayden is so fond of taking them, the battery in my camera lasted for only 30 minutes of our trip! So, I don't have many pictures, but I will get them from Grandma Tess who brought her brand new camera (the Rebel or somthing like that).

Anyhow, at this point it is needless to say, but...both kids were sound asleep long before we got back on the freeway to come home and they slept like...umm...babies ;). Jayden actually slept from 7ish pm until about 5 am (when he came to me for the second time in the night only this time he was NOT going back to sleep). Eliana in true form, woke up several times hungry. I don't know why she won't sleep through the night anymore...she did it for about a week or two in December and hasn't done it since! The book says she is supposed to sleep through at 3 months! Gonna have to bring that up at her dr appt next month.

So....we've been busy...wonder what we will get to today!

Getting caught up!

What a great weekend! Dave and I really like playing an online interactive game (Everquest II) but there is usually so little time to play together that we feel dissatisfied with our version of "quality" time. But, we made special plans this weekend to play and play and play. SOE (Sony Online Experience) has been working hard at changes in the game to make room for a new expansion on the upper end. Because of this, they offered a special "double-experience weekend". So, we played all weekend long. I feel ready to face the day today (of course it is only 9:30am) and get an active start on our week.

A set-back to that active start is that Jayden is coughing now. Since we have been sick in this house (ok....I have been sick) since February 2, I am concerned that he may have a bacterial infection now. We will be seeing our favorite pediatrician in a couple of hours to check things out. Maybe my upbeat motivated attitude will help me to get some cleaning done around the house! I can see how that would lead to the possible health of my household. I haven't gotten ANYTHING done since the beginning of the month and the house is a MESS!!! Julie, I NEED YOU!

Speaking of Julie, I can't wait to see your new house! I suspect that by this time you are all moved in and LOVING it! There is something about moving into your own home....oh yeah! It's yours! :)

Ok....what about the kids? Jayden has been learning to take pictures. He LOVES to play with my camera. He takes 30 pictures at a time and wants to do this 2-3 times a day. Some of his pictures come out good, but many many of them are of things like his toys, the TV, coke cans (he makes us look really bad), and the couch. He is working on framing though. Sometimes he can even get the thing he wants to take the picture of inside the frame and it comes out. Other times, he say "taking picture Ellie" and he gets her sleeve. I seem to be inept at adding images or else I would post them here for you.


And Just for fun...here is one of Jayden:

But, now Ellie! She is getting good at sitting up. If I sit her, she can stay that way for a couple of minutes before she folds over in half. She is rolling over on a regular basis...."Mama, I want to be on my tummy!!" For every play time, sleep, and yes...diaper changes too! She is so full of personality! I love watching her play and interact with us. She thinks Jayden is all that and a bag of chips! She will watch him play and stare in admiration of her big brother. When he plays with her she is full of smiles and giggles. It's fun to watch them together. She also likes to watch me play EQII (see above) and she is chewing on EVERYTHING! No teeth yet! I thought she was going to pop them out early based on the one showing, but it has since receded into the gums again and there is no sign of any new teeth. (I am just as glad too...as I said...she chews on EVERYTHING!)

Well, I am not sure what I have forgotten, so....what ever it is, you will find out tomorrow or the next day! :)

No-News is Boring.

Today we had our first real outing since I got the cold from hell. I am still a bit congested and have a headache for the third (or fourth) day in a row, but we needed to get out and I couldn't just keep hiding Jayden inside. He needs to get out among his peeps if you know what I mean! :)

So we had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. As usual, we passed an enormous amount of time lollygagging over a myriad of foods only a few of which actually got eaten. But, Jayden suprised me and ate more vegetables than I have ever seen him eat! He dipped them all in ranch dressing which, as some of you may know, is his favorite way of eating absolutely everything! What really surprised me, though, was that as soon as we got out of the car, he was asking for the ice cream....but, when he finally got it, he took 2 bites and was done! I think he was just enjoying being with the other kids so much that he didn't want to waste time eating anymore.

I relished this opportunity of going out to get Eliana dressed up in a cute little denim dress that I bought her at Osh Kosh on Friday....ok, I went shopping on Friday, so today was a second outing for us. She was STYLIN' in her new duds and her StrideRite shoes! Yes, I finally did it! I spent the money to buy the expensive shoes! But, in my defense, they were on 50% off sale and I bought her a size too big so they can wear them longer! Also, my MIL paid for Ellie's shoes and I paid for Jayden's. That was a convincer too...I would not have bought them both shoes there even at those prices! Maybe when they are older and will stay in the same size for a year or so, but not now!

Speaking of fashion, you may have noticed that I added a new link to the link list. PoisonedSweets is a friend of mine and she has the coolest clothes. I am not sure I would wear them if I had the body it takes to pull them off, but I wouldn't know where to buy 'em anyway. I just think some of them are great and then again...some of them are so out there, I wonder what she was thinking! :)

Until next time...

Poopy-Head is on the mend!

The good news is that I FINALLY feel healthy(ish) again. I am still congested, but at least it isn't debilitating as it was last week. I couldn't breathe during the day or at night. I couldn't sleep. It was awful. But, I am feeling much better.

The bad news is that Jayden called me a Poopy-Head the other day! I asked him where he learned that and he said, "hmmm...Let me think....I dunno!"

Sick, sick, sick, and not sick!

Dave, Eliana, and I are all sick. Well, Ellie started it with a drippy nose on Wednesday. Dave and I picked it up yesterday morning. Now, Dave and I are pretty miserable, but Ellie seems to have shaken the worst of it. Jayden seems to be immune to it.....THANK GOD!

I wonder if one of Jayden's grandparents would like to take him to the Discovery Museum tomorrow....That would be soooo nice!

Until I feel better,
Lynda

Bye bye Gymboree! Hello Tumbling!

We finished our membership at Gymboree last week. I have chosen not to renew because Jayden was not getting anything out of the classes and it was WAY too expensive. He needs something that is much more physically involved than what Gymboree has to offer. So, we signed up for a parent-toddler gymnastics class. It is not really gymnastics, but there is a little stretching, some tumbling, and some playtime on their meager equipment. I think this round is a good start to tumbling and if he shows an inclination or aptitude for it, we will look into something more structured and involved.

No pictures becuase I still can't find the charger for my camera battery. :( Maybe next time!

One of those days...

Ever have one of those days when you feel superfluous? Like no matter where you are, who you talk to, or what you are doing, that none of it matters? Yep....that's me. I am poor pathetic me today. Of course, I have been poor pathetic me for many many days, but today is the first time I felt like writing about it.

Then, of course, I am watching my son play and holding Eliana and I know that I am loved and needed. I am especially enjoying Jayden who is playing Buzz Lightyear....everything is flying "to infinee and b'yon". Gotta love his imagination! And who can resist Ellie's cute little smiles that light up her whole face?! Yep...my kids are cute. And today, that is a really good thing! (for me)

Maybe tomorrow will be a brighter day!

More about teeth!

Today was a unique experience for me. I got a crown on my back tooth. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it feels funny now. I have the temporary crown in and I wonder if the permenant one will be as strange feeling as this one is. I don't know...I am supposed to be able to chew properly now though...without the pain. The dentist said the crack in my tooth went on and on. But, the crown should hold what's left of it together so that it is normal.

Clearly, there is nothing to note today in the Stahl family.

Welcome to the world!

Welcome to the world, Ryan Philip Shuman! We got news just this morning that Daniela finally had her baby! Only a week late, but here at last and expected to go home tomorrow.

Can't wait to meet the new Shuman!

Toothy-Teethies!

I had a dental appointment for a cleaning and a check-up last week. I took Jayden with me thinking he would be interested enough to watch and maybe...just maybe...he would let the dentist look in his mouth. Well, not only was I right about his interest, but his excitement and enthusiam overwhelmed the whole office. He was playing with the buttons on the chair, looking in the little tooth mirror, playing with the call buttons, you name it...he did it.

After the dentist looked at my teeth (and Jayden got to see what would happen), he claimed that it was his turn in the big chair. When he got in, I put the bib on him and he opened his mouth for the dentist. She was so good with him,too. She counted his teeth (he has 16) and he was soooo good! It was way cool!

Speaking of teeth...yeppers...it's time for Ellie. She is cutting the 2 bottoms. Way too soon! Everything is just flying by with her! She is going to be all grown up before I know it!

Family and friends

I hope everyone had the holiday season that they hoped for. Personally, I enjoyed visiting with friends and family and spending time locked up in my house hiding out away from the world. I guess you could say I got a taste of it all. We spent Christmas eve and Christmas day with Dave's side of the family. How blessed we are to have so many loved ones nearby. We then had 2 Chanukkah parties with my family--one at my parents' house and one at mine. We invited some non-Jewish friends over to the party at our house so they could get a feel for how we celebrate the holiday. For the rest of Chanukkah, we had a quite celebration at home lighting candles and giving Jayden presents. Yes, I spoiled him and gave him a present every night. I probably won't do that again when Chanukkah lands right near Christmas because he got very present happy! He opened 3 presents that were not his during non-present opening times because he was over-zealous! Well, perhaps when he is older he can show more restraint...heaven knows I never could! :)

I got Dave a magnetic dartboard that Jayden loves, and Dave got me an iPod that Jayden loves. I would love to say that we love our gifts as much as Jayden does, but is there anything a 2 year old boy doesn't like? If so, I haven't found it except perhaps sleeping...and even that he likes when he is pretending!

Someday I may post pictures of Jayden and the candles and the presents and the other holiday things we did, but for now, we lost the charger for my camera battery and the pictures are stuck there for the time being.

Anyway, I mentioned that I got to visit with friends too. I did indeed! First, my sister-in-law came out to visit us. That was really nice. I'm glad she came out. Then, the day I took Michelle back to the airport, I picked up Bridget who came to town for terribly sad reasons, but we got to visit a bit after the funeral and that was nice, too.

Out of the blue, I emailed an old friend just to say hi. She emailed me back and for the first time in 2 years, we got together for a cup of coffee. We probably had lots to talk about and could have spent a great deal more time chatting away, but due to babysitting constraints on my part, we had a very short visit. But it was nice.

Then, my long-time friend Elizabeth got into town and we spent a couple of days hanging out and talking and visiting. I do love visiting with old friends.

Golly, I didn't know I had that much to say! I hope you all had as much enjoyment in wrapping up last year and bringing in this one as I did and may the year be all that you make it and more!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Happy new year everyone! May you all have a year full of peace, prosperity, and joy. May you find what you seek and what you find make you happy!