Esen didn't have to teach today, so he was home with all of his ladies.  We used the opportunity (and the cool morning) to have our first family outing... to his *favorite* Sacramento destination:  Fairytale Town!!  If I had more energy right now I would direct you to the blog post on our first visit to Fairytale Town and how Esen basically swore never to return.  I guess a person will do anything to wear out a kid when daycare is closed because we got him back inside without putting even putting a gun to his head.  A few pictures from this quasi-zoo/playground fairytale land...

Mary had a little lamb... or is it Little Bo Peep?  In any event, there were sheep:

She wasn't too keen on being inside the teepee:

Donkey and cow:

Billy goats gruff:

Driving Cinderella's pumpkin carriage:

Going down the Jack & the Beanstalk slide:

There were plenty of slides... and she went down them all:

I like how her feet are already in motion before Esen gets her back on the ground:

Stopping for a brief snack (Esen looks thrilled, no?):

 

Here's what you get if ask Sophia to "smile and say cheese":

The girls:

 

I've got both girls all to myself tomorrow, which means there will be no outing.  I don't think I'm quite ready to deal with them both in public with just one set of arms/hands.  Might be time to investigate double-stroller options...

Well, Babaanne and Grandma Griffith left town today.  After a week of delicious prepared meals and TWO pairs of extra hands, I'm pretty certain we're in for a rude awakening beginning tomorrow.  Here are a few pictures of them with the girls:

 

We also had a surprise visit from Kaan Amce (well, only Gulsen was surprised... we all knew he was coming for a quick weekend visit):

 

Sophia is home with me/us from daycare for multiple days this week since her daycare is closed for Rosh Hashana.  That means that we will probably be short on sanity and time for updating the blog.  I promise to post if something really entertaining happens, which it just might... :)

A quick video of Sophia poking Ella in the eyes (permanent link:http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5938350901855335334&hl=en):

  

 

I should count how many times a day Sophia says "Ella"... that kid will surely know her name by next week.

Five days old and Ella has already managed to projectile poop on both Esen and I.  She got me this morning, which is decidedly NOT the way I like to start the day.  There were wardrobe changes and the floor had to be cleaned.  Good times.  I want it on the record that I didn't run to the shower like a sissy when it happened to me (not that I'm mentioning any names).  No, no... I had to clean up, regain my composure, and feed (re-arm) the perpetrator.

 

Anyway, these events have taught me three quick lessons:

1.  We should all be investing in diaper stocks.  Clearly Huggies and Pampers aren't going under any time soon.

2.  Graco should contemplate selling a "windshield" type attachment to its bassinettes that have changing tables to minimize the impact of projectile bodily functions.

3.  Given that Esen and I have *each* had this experience, clearly the grandmas aren't changing enough diapers.

 

To quote Esen this morning:  "Honey, welcome to Poop Club.  The first rule of Poop Club is that there is no Poop Club."  It's nice to know that we haven't yet lost our sense of humor.  I'm sure that's coming, however, so enjoy me while you can.  :)

Hmmm... if only we'd changed a few letters, maybe we could have had free wine for life:  http://www.bellaserawine.com/home.asp

(Thanks to David Switzer for asking if we named our daughter after a wine company.)

The info:

Born Sunday September 21st at 1:44 pm

8 pounds, 8 ounces (a full pound bigger than Sophia)

19.5 inches (just a half-inch shorter than Sophia)

 

The details:

I started having contractions on Saturday afternoon, but wasn't sure it was the real deal until dinner time.  After an unpleasant four hours between midnight and 4am, an epidural made the remaining 9 hours almost delightful.  25 minutes of pushing and she was out!  While this was substantially easier than Sophia's delivery, I still wouldn't call it "easy" so be careful with your word choice when we talk, ok?  :)  Thanks to hospital crowding and a roommate with a penchant for Spanish channels on our shared tv, we came home 24 hours after delivery.

 

A few other photos:

The happy-dura time:

Baba warming up for the catch:

Right after delivery:

 

At home with the big sis:

 

Some pictures taken at the hospital:  http://www.our365.com/newbornportraits/babydetail.aspx?birthid=eff06366-d7de-49b3-82f4-e86f11103ac4

 

More to come as time allows... 

That's what Sophia said when we got to the park tonight (translation: we've come to the park) and then she sprinted from the car to the gate with her little bucket and shovel.  Thankfully Babaanne was willing (and able!) to get down in the sand and play:

 

Then my Turkish posse went to play in the leaves:

 

I also finally captured a video of Sophia's daring on the slide (permanent link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6899043416280638942&hl=en):

    

 

And, of course, Sophia had to help her Baba put together his new smoker, a house warming gift from Grandma and Grandpa Sautner that I secretly hope will have me cooking even less!  That girl sure loves her tools:

 

Not much else going on here... just playing the waiting game.  The biggest question in mind (besides, "Is this gonna hurt like hell?") is, "Will M2 be a virgo or a libra?"  Wednesday 9/23 is the cutoff...

It's becoming a Sunday ritual... first go to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard, then hit the park to work off the sugar! 

 

Our sweet little Lale is getting so big... today she even went down the BIG slide for the first time!

For the record (in case you want to sing along at home):

The wheels on the bus go round and round,

The doors on the bus go open and shut,

The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep,

The puppies on the bus go hav, hav, hav (they're Turkish),

The babies on the bus go wah, wah, wah,

The mommas on the bus go shh, shh, shh,

The riders on the bus go bumpity-bump, and

The engine on the bus goes &*$%, so we all have to get off the bus.

(Permanent link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6974415467778899681&hl=en)

    

 

Once Sophia gets to swinging and singing, she generally asks for "More? More?" (or "Daha? Daha?"), so you better have some songs ready... because she's usually opinionated enough to nix your suggestion with a harsh "No! No!" if she doesn't like what you're singing.  Old MacDonald is pretty popular around here, particularly if we pick animal sounds that she likes to make.  She doesn't seem to care that camels, snakes, alligators, and fish are not really *farm* animals, she likes to spit, hiss, chomp, and pucker... needless to say, we have a very strange collection of farm animals by the time we're done.  I'm not sure how entertaining it is to watch on video, but it's pretty fun (and exhausting) in person.  (Permanent link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8023249849444168802&hl=en)

    

The video above is from a few nights ago, but tonight when we were doing it, Esen decided to make it into a little Turkish lesson for me.  I do the singing, right up until "... and on this farm he had a _______."  Esen fills in the blanks usually, but tonight he was doing it in Turkish and I had to know the animal so that I could make the right noises.  Fortunately Sophia knew them all (even when I didn't), but her animal noises aren't quite advanced enough for me to really get the hint that way!  Pigs and lions pretty much sound the same at this point.

 

I'm still hanging tough over here.  This is the last weekend that my doctor is in town and then she's off doing crap with her own kids instead of hanging out in Sacramento to deliver M2.  Oh well... she missed Sophia's delivery and we all survived.  It'll be like playing the lottery.  Which doctor gets to see me at my best?  :)

Here's some evidence that we've actually been settling in a bit more (i.e., there are now some things on the walls).

Map (permanent link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8407951533154837302&hl=en):

    

 

And here's the finished product, with LOTS of activity south of the equator:

 

Yesterday we joined about 15-20 screaming children and their parents for a 3-year-old's birthday party.  It was intense... loud, chaotic, unnerving.  It was at a place full of different types of bounce houses, most of them too overwhelming for our 1.5-year-old Sophia.  Esen was able to get her to go down the slide, but only with a lot of physical effort on his part.  I just stood at the bottom and gave thanks that I'm too big at the moment to participate.  I didn't do much bouncing either... didn't really want to shake M2 up so much that she decided to come out, you know?  I mean, that wouldn't have been very good party ettiquette.

Bounce House Slide (permanent link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3336309599004384461&hl=en):

    

 

Here's a picture of the birthday boy... he was like a flash that could barely be captured on camera:

 

I was thinking this morning that it might be entertaining (and useful to some of you) to see the important items in her life.  I narrated the video below, but these items include:  her pink flower hat, Mahmut the starfish (yes, Esen named him), Polly the baby, Mavis(h) the baby (again, named by the Turk), Lovie, and blanket.  These items are a permanent fixture in our lives, particularly first thing in the morning and as she goes to bed.  Truthfully, though, the hat and Mahmut go to daycare with her most days... we try not to let the rest out of the house unless we're going somewhere over night.  For those who will be visiting us in the coming months, if Sophia is distraught and seems to want something you can't decipher, chances are it is a member of this posse!  I've read that this is a crucial step in her becoming independent as it is a sign that she has "things" that she views as hers and wants her posse with her.  I thought about getting her a bag to help her cart around the posse, but apparently this can just encourage her posse to grow... not necessary!  I'm all in favor of good developmental progress, but imagine for a minute how hard it is to change her diaper as she has all of these items in her arms?  I mean, you can hardly get to the diaper and if you happen to dislodge one member from it's place, all hell breaks loose.  I wish I had a picture of her on the changing table with all these things piled on top of her... it's a wonder she can even breathe!

The Posse (permanent link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8562734225947975639&hl=en):

  

 

A few other random shots include:

1.  Sophia with her free balloon.  She likes to look at all the big mylar balloons in the grocery store while we check out and one of the employees treated her to a free balloon that matched her outfit last week:

 

2.  I asked Suzy to sit this morning and Sophia, who was nearby, decided to be a good dog and obey the command, too:

3.  Sophia is enamored with the camera and pictures of herself (she smiles and points to her chest when she sees herself on the camera).  She was requesting that I take more pictures of her this morning, so I complied and got this glamour shot:

4.  Our little outing this morning was to an aquarium store that we were told had an amazing collection of salt water fish (you know, the pretty tropical ones).  We also heard that they had a koi pond where you could feed the fish.  It was a big place and definitely kid friendly enough.  Sophia, in her new desire to be photographed, actually asked me to take her picture about 3 times (especially with the "Red Devil" fish).  You can see from the shots below, however, that she was definitely scared of the electric eel... apparently she was clinging to Esen for dear life!

Two of my grandfather's sisters (Aunt Bertha and Aunt Mary, pictured here holding Sophia at her baptism)... Aunt Mary Bullinger passed away yesterday at the age of 83 and she will be sadly missed.  For most of my life she lived just two houses away from my grandparents, so I really grew up knowing her well... the best out of all my great Aunts and Uncles.  She was a kind and generous woman who always stopped by to say hello and have a cup of coffee, who volunteered countless hours at the hospital and church, and who was always on the go right up until the very end.  Mandan, ND just won't be the same without you.

OK blog readers.  It's time to choose your dates.  When will M2 be born?  You tell us.  Perhaps I should level the playing field and give everyone access to the same information.  The official due date is September 28th or 29th.  I was at the doctor today and the examination revealed that I'm already 1 cm dialated (sorry if this is too much information for some of you).  I was about 1 cm dialated after 24 hours of contractions with Sophia, but the doctor assures me that this is pretty normal for someone who has already had a baby.  Other relevant information includes the fact that they aren't going to let me go a week late like they did last time, so I would put a pretty low probability on an October delivery.

 

Register your guesses in the comments or email us and we'll post them.  You can't choose a date that has already been chosen.  "Price Is Right" rules apply, which means that the winner is the closest without going over (i.e., if you guess September 19th and she's born on the 18th, you've gone over even though you might be the closest).  Only one person can win the grand prize, which is yet to be determined, but is sure to be AWESOME!