Christmas Gifts?

Today we received two "gifts" for Christmas. Ella had her first food challenge this morning. During Ella's recent allergy skin tests, the doctor felt that she would be a good candidate for food challenges in dairy and egg. Essentially, the doctor will administer larger and larger doses of the allergic food under his watch. Today's challenge was dairy. She will have her egg in a few weeks. Dairy has been a tough food to avoid. It's in so many things. Based on today's challenge, she is no longer considered allergic to dairy! So, she is now able to drink regular milk, eat cheese, yogurt, ice cream, frosting, etc. I think that I'm more excited than she is. It's just been such a hassle to tell people that she's allergic to dairy. For some reason people don't really have a grasp of what dairy is. Like even though we tell them, they'll still offer her milk. What do people think dairy is? Only cheese?

Our second "gift"...a foot of snow overnight! I'm actually joking about this being a gift. It's the most snow that I've experienced since living here as an adult. I wouldn't have minded this snow, but I had to drive to the north end of Denver this morning for Ella's food challenge. I've kind of learned the flat routes to Denver, so I really don't worry too much about driving through Denver. I'm amazed at what the plows are able to do. They use crazy deicer that will melt ice and snow away pretty well. No, no, no, that doesn't bother me. Our biggest problem is getting out of our neighborhood. Mainly getting up our street. We're the second house down! They do not plow side streets. They just don't do it. I've figured out that if I go down the street and around to the next street, I can build up my momentum enough to crawl up to the flatter "exit" street. Well, this tactic didn't work this morning. Try to imagine a compact car trying to drive up an unplowed street with a foot of snow. I almost made it, but my car got stuck.

Whit ran over from our street to help me push. We rocked the car and pushed, rocked and pushed, for like 20 minutes. Finally a man came out of his house and helped us. Boy were my wheels spinning. Once we were able to get up to the flatter street, we were able to make it to the main road - which was plowed. We successfully made it to Ella's appointment. We were just a tad bit late.

We've had a good amount of snow so far in Denver this year. It's actually a good thing because last year we didn't have very much and it was very dry. Last year we had 22 inches total all year (that works out to only about 2 inches of water/rain). This year we've already had 34 inches and winter just started. Jan and Feb are usually snowier than December. So, even though driving in it is not fun, it's actually a good thing. Truly I wouldn't mind the snow at all if we lived in a flatter neighborhood. Stupid hills!


A view of our backyard from the porch. That's a birdbath in case you were wondering. That little dot pointing out of the snow is the top of a plant in our back garden bed.



This is the backyard from the porch looking slightly to the side.



This is taken from our front porch of our unplowed street. "Where's the street?" Just to be very clear, those are not our reindeer, they are our neighbor's. Ella used to like them until she realized that they don't actually light up.

Holiday Tea

It seems as though this is becoming an annual tradition for Ella and I. The Doll Holiday Tea. The tea is at an old hotel in downtown and after the girls fill up on "food" (Ella's tea lunch consisted of a cupcake, frosted cookies, a chocolate covered strawberry, and a hot cocoa with three scoops of marshmallows), ballerinas come out and dance for them. I managed to get a few pics of Ella in the decorated lobby.


Ella and I in front of the fireplace. She decided to bring her American Girl to the tea. Contrary to how it looks, I did brush her doll's hair out before the tea!



One of Ella's preschool buddies and her little sister.



All of the girls with the ballerinas. Can you see Ella?




This definitely put us in the holiday spirit. The 6 inches of snow that fell yesterday also contributed a wee bit. Gotta love winter in Denver. By the way, Whit is in New Orleans until Wednesday. My only request was that he bring some fresh beignets home with him. Again with the food!

Too Many Restrictions

Being pregnant has forced me to give up one of the things that I admittedly love...wine. I haven't had a drink since my pregnancy test (although I did have two very large mojitos right before taking the test). It's been tough. Although Whit has great sympathy and respect for the fact that I can't drink, that doesn't stop him from enjoying a drink/s (and I wouldn't dream of asking him to abstain). The lack of my normal vice has forced me to look at food in a new way. I've already mentioned some of the eating that I've been doing. Although I haven't been eating the quantity that I was eating early on, I have still been eagerly enjoying whatever food that I don't have an aversion to.

One of the frustrating things that I've found is that there are a lot of restrictions placed on what pregnant women can't eat. Sushi and different kinds of cheeses are a "no no." I do enjoy sushi every now and again and I love blue cheese and brie (both of which are off limits). Another restriction...deli meat! I don't think that I abstained from that when I was pregnant with Ella. I've stuck to it with this pregnancy and I get pretty mad about it. Deli sandwiches sound amazing to me right now! I would love a turkey and swiss or a really large Italian combo. Just writing about it makes me crave it. Pregnant women also aren't supposed to eat at a salad bar. Well, I put my foot down with that one. I can't drink, I can't eat deli, I can't have good cheese, I'M EATING THE SALAD BAR! We went out to dinner tonight and I had the salad bar before dinner. It was so good! Of course I drowned my salad with ranch, but it was so delicious! Is that so wrong?!

Sometimes I wonder if all of these restrictions are really necessary. I can understand the drinking, smoking, and doing drug restrictions, but food - come on! That's all a pregnant woman has! Are all these restrictions really necessary? Were pregnant women advised to avoid brie and a salad bar 30 years ago? Did it really make a huge difference (look at how great I turned out). There was a time when drinking wasn't even discouraged. Maybe I'm a bad person, but I'm just not giving up salad bars!

Halloween

Feeling Fat

There is a point in every woman's pregnancy when she goes through what I call the "Fat Phase." When I was pregnant with Ella it began at about 4 1/2 months and lasted until about 5 1/2 months. With this pregnancy it began at about 4 weeks and hasn't let up yet. Basically the "fat phase" is the time in pregnancy when you don't look definitively pregnant yet, but you definitely look like you've been eating too many ice cream bars (Hmmm...). It's kind of like a "can't button my pants because I have an extreme muffin top" phase. Clearly I'm getting tired of this phase, although I'm not sure I am ready for the maternity clothes point in my pregnancy yet.

I've actually been handling this better than with my Ella pregnancy. When I was pregnant with her I would try to suck myself in as I walked passed a good looking guy at the market. Now I just don't care. Sometimes watching commercials is a little bit hard, especially if it includes a supermodel and Whit is watching it with me. Then I feel a little bit inferior, but that's only happened a handful of times.

Again, this is something that Whit has to have a lot of patience with. Like when I'm getting dressed in the morning and I ask Whit if I look fat. This throws him off guard. He doesn't know how to answer. He wonders if I'm trying to trick him or if I really want to know. At first he was telling me, "No, you look great." Now he tells me, "You are starting to show a bit." In other words, "Yes, you look a little bit like you're trying to squeeze into those pants." Poor Whit, I don't think that pregnant Tiff is very easy to deal with. Well, he only has 5 1/2 more months left.

Food Issues

I can't really write about being new to CO anymore. I'm not a newbie anymore. I suppose that I could blog about the beautiful fall colors, but I've written about last year. I need to face the facts...there are newer people to CO than me. I'm moving on with my blog!

I think the only thing that I have lots of material to write about is the thing that's on my mind all day...my impending birth and baby. It's on my mind so much for obvious reasons, but also because I have developed some serious food issues. By the way, as I finished that last sentence, I was also finishing off an ice cream bar. Although, in my defense, it was organic, coconut milk ice cream. Therefore it's okay in my book.

The first food issue that I noticed was pretty early in my pregnancy. Maybe at 8 weeks or so. I was starving. I'm talking gnawing, hunger pangs starving. I would eat something (usually a very large portion) and I'd feel these horribly strong hunger feelings 30 minutes later. I had to eat again just to stave it off! That crazy hunger lasted about 2 weeks. It was awful.

The second food issue that I've had since about the same time is major food aversions and very unhealthy cravings. These haven't gone away at all. Basically anything healthy and wholesome sounds nauseating to me. All I'm craving is processed food, fried food, dessert, and anything else that I would try very hard not to eat under normal circumstances.

Planning the weekly dinner menu is a huge challenge because all of my normal recipes sound truly nauseating to me. Homemade portobello mushroom and bison chili= yuck! Hormel chili= yes! I literally sit for almost an hour and flip through my recipes and find only one that sounds kind of okay. Poor Whit. He's been so patient with me. After I've flipped through the recipes three times, I usually call him over to complain. He patiently make suggestions to me - all of which I quickly shoot down and say, "no way! Yuck!"

Needless to say, I don't remember having these strong aversions when I was pregnant with Ella. I do remember that I couldn't eat eggs or tamales when I was pregnant with her. But that was basically it. Everything else was pretty much okay with me.

Well, hopefully the food aversions will pass soon. But for now it's sloppy Joe's and Bush's baked beans for dinner tonight. At least making dinner is easier now that I am using more canned food.

What Kindergarten Means To Me

When I said "Good Bye" to Ella today, her first day of Kindergarten, I was surprised at my sadness. I wasn't expecting the tears and emotions. I was more emotional today than when I dropped her off at daycare at 8 weeks old. Actually I was pretty emotional then, but it was different. I was a little bit taken aback by today's emotions because Ella has been in "school" since she was an infant. Why is the first day of Kindergarten different?

It seemed bittersweet. I'm so proud of Ella and how much she knows and grows, but I can see how quickly she's growing up. She's definitely not a baby anymore. She's not even a preschooler. She shared her fears with me yesterday. She was scared that she wouldn't have any friends and that no one would play with her. She cried a little bit. But today, she was so brave as she walked up the stairs and waited outside of the classroom with all of her classmates. I knew she was scared, but she did it anyway. I couldn't be with her up there, I just had to let her go. And that's what today was, letting a little bit of Ella go. Releasing her into a new world with all new experiences. Watching as she waved to me and thinking, "there goes my baby."



Showing off the Froggy Backpack



Giving me a goodbye curtsy before we leave.

Back To It All

My summer break really seemed to just fly by! Now here we are back to work and school. I've been in my classroom all week getting set up. What a difference from last year. Last year I really had no idea what I was doing. It was all so different from my last school. This year I feel like a pro. We have our homevisits next week. If you remember from last year, that's when we visit each child in his/her home before school starts. It's such a great way to see the child in his/her own environment. It's so helpful when school does start because it allows us to have more insight about the students.

Ella's first day of Kinder is on Wednesday. She has to report at school on Tuesday afternoon for a Kinder Assessment. I have no idea what that is, but I'm sure that she'll do fine on it. We went to her school last night to "meet her teacher." It was a schoolwide event and packed. We had to wait in line just to enter the school building. Then, her classroom was packed and we really didn't have the chance to "meet the teacher" because all 60 of her students (morning and afternoon classes) were trying to meet her too.

On a sad note, one of my colleagues is missing. He went on a hike in late July and never returned. Unfortunately, they didn't begin searching for him until almost two weeks after the hike. He lives alone and I'm not sure if his family and friends realized that he was missing. There are a lot of things that we just don't know. His family is really keeping a lot of information to themselves. There's probably a lot that they don't know. It's a sad way to start the school year off. My last post is a link to the most recent article about him.

Our trip last week to S.F. and Fresno was a good time for Ella and I. I didn't really have the chance to take too many pictures, but I'll try to post the ones that I have soon. Whenever I travel alone with Ella I'm horrible at remembering to take pictures!

Another note - we haven't found another snake in the garage since the last time I wrote (we did find one in the yard a few days ago). Whit removed the rocks that surrounded that side of the house and also filled the hole with a foam that hardens to fill holes. So, it seems like it worked...for now.

Family of missing Colorado hiker grateful for help from his students, parents - The Denver Post

Family of missing Colorado hiker grateful for help from his students, parents - The Denver Post

Camps Galore!

As an attempt to keep all of the kids in the South Suburbs of Denver busy during summer, there are more camps offered than I can count. There are overnight camps that usually are located in the mountains. Those sound great, but they're usually for 8 and up. Ella's cousins go to a science one in Winter Park (where Ella learned to ski). But there are many more day camps offered. All of the museums have them, almost all schools, dance studios, art studios, rec centers, you name it. They're big business, so everyone wants to get in on the action. They can be quite pricey, so I figured that Ella could attend only one or two this summer.

Our schedule was pretty busy and I was taking another gifted class during the beginning of summer, so her only opportunity came during the first week of August. I found a great Sport Camp offered through the rec center right at our neighborhood park. So, I would be able to just walk five minutes to take her to camp. Great Deal! Also, the Sport Camp sounded fabulous because it's purpose was to introduce different sports to little ones. Ella would have the chance to play a little soccer, kickball, lacrosse, etc. I figured that she'd show an interest in one of the sports and I would learn which sport she was interested in. It seemed perfect. Ella was very excited for the Sport Camp, but then she got wind of a Fairy Tale Camp that some of her friends were going to. It was the same week as Sport Camp. She had to make a choice. Hmmm...let's see. A Sport Camp in the park with strangers or a princessy, pink, frilly camp with friends. Which one do you think she chose?



Her introduction as "Princess Ella."



Anxious to show off her poses.




All of the girls were so precious in their little outfits! Too Cute.


Ella dances her Cinderella dance in this video.


She had such a great time at Fairy Tale Camp. They did a great job. She made a sweet little craft every day and actually learned a few ballet terms. As much as I hate to admit it, it was a great choice.

By the way, we found snake #3 last night. Another different one. We might have to bring in a professional! It's only a matter of time until we find one in the house.

Snakes!!!

Okay. So, I've been very tolerant of the wild animals that roam our neighborhood. Sure, I cringe a little bit when I hear the coyote pack howling after a kill, I get upset when the rabbits eat my flowers, and I really am not comfortable with the small garter snakes that live in the far corner of our yard. I've learned to live with the animals, even the snakes, because I just tell myself that they are outside and our house is very well built.

A couple of months ago one of my friends posted this video on Facebook. It really creeped me out. Essentially, it's about a family that purchased a house in Idaho and the house turned out to be infested with snakes. I've never really had an issue with snakes. I don't think that I would ever have one as a pet, but I'm not tremendously scared of them. This video made me a little bit paranoid though. It actually scared me into thinking that some of those innocent backyard snakes could actually infest our home.

Snake House': Family Home in Idaho Turns Out to Be 'Satan's Lair' of Serpents - ABC News

Of course my recently developed snake paranoia is silly...or is it. Last week I found a huge garter snake in our garage. It had taken up residence in a dark corner. Leigh shooed it out and tried to plug up the hole with a large rock. But, later that night, the snake found it's way back into the garage. So, Whit took him and put him in the back corner of our yard. Not my choice. I would have taken him down to the park or the creek, but he was on his way to work. It took the snake about 2.5 days to return to his spot in the garage. Whit and Ella took him down to the creek. The creek is pretty far. I have big doubts that he will ever find his way back to our place (although you never know). Today I just happened to look in that corner of the garage and what did I see...a snake! Not the same one, a different one. I actually would have rather it been the same one. Obviously we have a minor snake problem. I would have been fine with this whole thing if I hadn't have seen that video! Darn video! So, tomorrow I'm going to Home Depot for some moth balls. Apparently they don't like them. I know that they're really poisonous and toxic, but they'll be in the garage. We'll see what happens from here!

Moving Anniversary

It's hard to believe that we moved here just over a year ago. It seems hard to believe, but then I think about all that has happened and it actually seems like it's been a year. I wouldn't say that I'm 100% settled into Colorado. Although I feel pretty settled into our house. I still love with our house and I love walking through all of the rooms and just appreciating it for what it is. It's not the biggest or the fanciest house. Whit and I definitely have a greater sense of appreciation because we came from a tiny condo and that bug-infested guest house.

We're definitely not settled into our yard. I'm still trying to figure what is growing in our yard and if it's supposed to be there or not. I am learning what flowers grow well here. Growing season only lasts from May to October here and then you kind of leave it alone until the next season. I've planted geraniums and dahlias in containers and they're doing fairly well. I also planted petunias in some of our front beds. I've never worked with petunias before, but they're doing well, too. One really big yard difference is the amount of animals that live in our yard and nearby. We have a ton of birds. I love to watch the robins hopping in our yard and then peck at the ground. They are so aware of what's going on under the ground and they usually come up with a worm. We have a family of bunnies that lives next door. Whit has found owl pellets, so obviously there is an owl that comes at night. There are racoons, coyotes, and foxes. We've found several snakes in our yard. Early mornings can be pretty noisy. It almost sounds like a rainforest because there are so many birds chirping, tweeting, and squawking.

I've come to love Denver and Centennial even if I don't feel quite at home yet. I'm still learning to be more outdoorsy. It just doesn't come naturally for me. But I do hikes and take Ella for long walks through our neighborhood and down to the creek. Sometimes I still feel a little bit like a visitor and I wonder how long it takes before that feeling goes away. I wonder if it will ever go away. Regardless, I love where we live, I love everything that Colorado has to offer (even if I don't do it all yet), and I love driving up to our house, pulling into the driveway and realizing that I'm home.

The summer weather has been amazing. Although it gets hot in Denver during summer, it cools off at night and we tend to have afternoon thunderstorms blow in at around 3 or 4. They come in so fast. Within an hour the sky is dark and the thunder is rattling the windows. It cools everything off and it smells incredible. I love the way that rain smells when it's warm.

Our first year here has been happy, exciting, uncertain, difficult, memorable and wonderful. I can't wait to see what year two brings.

I'm a fisherwoman!!

We just got back from our family vacation a few hours ago. We were fortunately invited to Whit's sister's cabin in the very Northern corner of Wyoming/South Dakota border. Note: It was basically in South Dakota. The drive was a little bit long (almost 7 hours), but totally worth it. The cabin was beautiful, the area was beautiful, and I got to cross another state off on my "States I've Visited" list. The cabin is right on the banks of a fairly large creek and is just outside of the "black hills" of South Dakota. Yes, we did go to Mount Rushmore. We all had a great time. Whit's sister's (Kyra) kids were there to entertain Ella and Leigh and we had plenty of adult time. In fact, most of the time they didn't want anything to do with us they were having so much fun with their cousins. We fished, tubed, and visited the "swimmin' holes." The thing that I discovered...I love fly fishing! I didn't catch anything, but it was my favorite thing that I did all week. Who knew!


Just as we arrived. The kids headed down to the basement and right to the foosball table.



Whit trying to catch his breath after driving all day. Sitting in the main room with brother-in-law, Al.



Two of the cousins and Ella waiting for us to start dinner.



Deer in the yard the first night.



Day two, morning. View from the balcony.



Sand Creek.



Petey!



I love Petey!



Whit enjoying his morning coffee with...Petey!



The cousins getting ready for a bike ride.


Down the road from the cabin.



Ella is ready for a dip in the creek.






Ella loves Petey!



Whit's first time flyfishing. Al leads the way while Ella watches from the bank.






Walking into Rushmore.





Whit even finds time for a game of golf.



There go the cousins in tubes.





Ella, Kyra, and Brookie heading to the creek for a tube!



Getting into the creek.



Am I wearing a fanny pack?!



Ella with Auntie Kyra.



Whit floating by.




Flyfishing lesson with Kyra.



She stays far back from my casting.



Ella and I.



We're going in to try it for real.



Kyra needed a lot of patience.




She's the pro.



A successful week at the cabin with only one trip to the emergency room! Leigh cut his finger during cooking and needed 4 stitches. Other than that a great trip!