Today I decided to put an end to Natasha's pacifier.

I've let her use it for naps and bedtime ONLY for months and months now, and she was totally cool with that. And if it was just that, I would've probably let her use it longer. But lately, she's been completely taking advantage. We have a lot of pacifiers, and I kept them on the dresser in her room out of reach. She never touched them. But lately, she's been trying to sneak them out at every chance she gets. Every time I am not looking, she tries to find a pacifier somewhere in the house and puts it in her mouth. I hid them today, and she found them. While I was feeding the baby, she brought her little step stool, managed to reach for one she found, and put it in her mouth. She then threw a huge fit when I took it away from her.

She’s also been throwing fits in public places because she suddenly decides she needs a paci. On the bus, at the store, on the street, etc. I just decided to go cold-turkey today and put an end to it. So I put her to bed without her paci, told her she’s a big girl and that’s that. She did scream on & off for about 25 minutes but then got quiet and I’m assuming went to sleep. It’s like CIO all over again. But being that extended use of soothers can cause crooked teeth, and knowing that I myself wore braces for 2 years – the last thing I need is to rub more salt to the wound. Hopefully she’ll get Matthew’s teeth and not mine.

Thankfully Veronika doesn’t take pacifiers so Natasha doesn’t have to see them at all. Wish us luck at her nap-time tomorrow!

UPDATE – 1/29

Nap-time today wasn’t too terrible. She went down at 12noon, screamed on & off until 12:15 and then was out. It’s 3:08 now and she’s still asleep.
So far so good!

LOL.

Stolen from Christa – you rock!

The Price of Children

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is - don't have children if you want to be "rich."
Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold (usually covered with jelly or chocolate).
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren.
You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting
the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!

Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren!!!
It's the best investment you'll make!

Just something to kill time… feel free to steal for your own blog!!

1. Started my own blog – YES
2. Slept under the stars – YES
3. Played in a band – NO
4. Visited Hawaii – NO
5. Watched a meteor shower – YES
6. Given more than I can afford to charity – NO, NOT THAT MUCH
7. Been to Disneyworld/land - NOPE
8. Climbed a mountain – YES
9. Held a praying mantis - NOPE
10. Sung a solo – NO
11. Bungee jumped – NO FREAKIN WAY!
12. Visited Paris – NO
13. Watched lightning at sea – HMM, DON’T BELIEVE SO
14. Taught myself an art from scratch – YES
15. Adopted a child – NO
16. Had food poisoning – MOST LIKELY
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty – NO
18. Grown my own vegetables – YES, ON OUR DARN BALCONY LOL
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France – NO
20. Slept on an overnight train – YES
21. Had a pillow fight – YES
22. Hitchhiked – NO
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill – OF COURSE!
24. Built a snow fort – NO
25. Held a lamb – YES
26. Gone skinny dipping – NOOOO
27. Run a marathon – NO
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice – NO
29. Seen a total eclipse – YES
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset – OF COURSE
31. Hit a home run – YES
32. Been on a cruise – NOPE
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person – YEP
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors – NO
35. Seen an Amish community – NO
36. Taught myself a new language – NO
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied – NOPE
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person – NO
39. Gone rock climbing – KINDA
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David – NO
41. Sung karaoke – YES… GOSH, DON’T REMIND ME – HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt – NO…
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant – NO
44. Visited Africa – NO
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight – YEP
46. Been transported in an ambulance – NOPE
47. Had my portrait painted – YES
48. Gone deep sea fishing – NO
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person – I WISH
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris – NO
51. Gone scube diving or snorkeling – NO
52. Kissed in the rain – MAYBE
53. Played in the mud – NO
54. Gone to a drive-in theater – NO
55. Been in a movie – NO
56. Visited the Great Wall of China – NO
57. Started a business – NOPE
58. Taken a martial arts class – NOPE
59. Visited Russia – I WAS BORN THERE
60. Served at a soup kitchen – NO
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies – NO
62. Gone whale watching – NOPE
63. Got flowers for no reason – I AM LUCKY TO GET SOME FOR A REASON…
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma – NO
65. Gone sky diving – NOOO ICK
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp – NO
67. Bounced a check – DON’T THINK SO
68. Flown in a helicopter – NO
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy – NO
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial – NO
71. Eaten caviar – YYMMY! YES
72. Pieced a quilt – NO
73. Stood in Times Square – NO
74. Toured the Everglades – NO
75. Been fired from a job – NO
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London – NO
77. Broken a bone – YES
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - NO
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person – NOPE
80. Published a book – NO
81. Visited the Vatican – I WISH
82. Bought a brand new car – NO
83. Walked in Jerusalem – YES MANY TIMES!
84. Had my picture in the newspaper – NO..
85. Read the entire Bible – NOPE
86. Visited the White House – NO
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating – NO
88. Had chickenpox – YES
89. Saved someone's life – NOT THAT I KNOW OF
90. Sat on a jury – NO
91. Met someone famous – YES
92. Joined a book club – ONCE OR TWICE… NEVER AGAIN
93. Lost a loved one – YES
94. Had a baby – TWO :)
95. Seen the Alamo in person – A WHAT?
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake – NO
97. Been involved in a law suit - NOPE
98. Owned a cell phone – NO.. HAHA
99. Been stung by a bee – YES, ONCE
100. Ridden an elephant – NO… SOUNDS FUN!

Ah, updates.

The past week has been rather hectic – it snowed in again and we’ve been cooped up indoors pretty much the entire week. I hate winter, I really do. And to top it off, the girls haven’t been themselves this past week either. Natasha has been throwing a tantrum on top of a tantrum non-stop and Veronika’s been clingy and needy (I think she might be getting more teeth).

Veronika also learned to pull herself up to a standing position; she can only do it in the playpen right now, but she’s been trying to pull onto the couch and coffee table as well. She’s very very determined and into everything. On top of that, she turned into a little copycat. I shake my finger at her, she shakes it right back at me. She can now wave and say bye-bye, but it sounds like “bee-bee”, it’s very cute. And then each time she drops a toy or makes a mess, she exclaims “uh-oh!” The child is growing way too fast.

And Natasha… well, Natasha doesn’t stop talking. She turned into a complete chatterbox. It’s, “what’s that?” and “who’s that?” pretty much the entire day and I must acknowledge her or she won’t stop asking. Sometimes I wish she had a mute button. And I am sure the “why?” phase is just around the corner. But besides that, she’s been really expanding her vocabulary and can say pretty much anything she wants. She’s also developing some preferences… if I put her in a shirt that she approves off, it’s: “oooohh, nice, I like!”, but if it’s a not-so-nice shirt, it’s: “no, not nice, don’t like!”

*sigh* I am looking forward to the spring.

Happy 9 months to our sweet baby girl! It’s hard to believe that you’re already so close to your first birthday. The nine months that I was carrying you inside of me seemed to have dragged on forever, yet these past nine months flew by so fast. You’ve brought us nothing buy joy and happiness. Keep smiling, keep growing, and continue being the sweet, beautiful child that you already are.

Newborn / Now