The Pollei Family

Birthday Party

2011-03-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

Althouh Dane's birthday was 2 weeks ago I finally managed to get his birthday party together. We had a pool party because the weather is so nice right now. So Yes, all of you out of the state of AZ get reealllly jealous because we are swimming in March baby!! Haha just kidding. We all know its going to get freeeakking hot here in about 2 months. So we are enjoying the weather while we can, plus they heat my pool so it makes it worth while to get in. Poor little guy grabbed a cactus 20 minutes into his party, so he was content to suck on his sucker and hang out for a bit. The good news is, we got most of the prickles out of his hand and he was still happy to blow out his candles and stuff his face with popsicles and cupcakes. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANE!!

My baby is 2 !!!!!

2011-03-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

I took Dane on a little mommy and son date the other day and took pictures of him for his 2nd birthday. Because it was just me and him he wasn't distracted that much and I was able to capture some really precious moments. I love this little guy so much, he's a mama's boy and right now I'm thinking that's ok. The cutest thing is that he's still learning to talk and when he calls for me instead of saying "mommy" he says "mimi" Awww.. I just love him!

Priorities

2010-11-19T12:02:00.000-08:00

Many of you may have been wondering where the heck the Pollei family went, but really my priorities have been a little different this past month.

Blogging is not a relaxing activity for me, nor do I feel the need to inform everyone about every little thing going on in our lives because, frankly its probably boring to the rest of you. So I try to inform only the "necessary things." Although that can be a debatable topic, I do enjoy putting pictures up of my kiddos and updates that give the impression that we are all surviving the day to day life of the toddler world. The truth is, I do love being a mommy and wife and a stay at home maid, but this past month I finally followed through on a dream that has taken the back seat for a long time.

I am now a very excited and newly Certified Professional Makeup Artist. I just graduated from the Skin and Makeup Institute of Arizona. My course consisted of 80+ hours in all sorts and types of Makeup. It was a legit school program because I was constantly working on research projects and learning the history and science behind makeup. Including the replication of looks specifically from music videos, fashion designers (i.e. runway and print ads) movie makeup, and bridal makeup. I am also certified in airbrush. What is airbrush? Well it's basically the "new thing" although its not really that new, but is really the only thing that the big time makeup artist do. In fact most everyone you see on T.V, magazines, and in movies are all airbrushed. In short, it's a machine that spray's on your makeup. It's pretty sweet. If you don't airbrush these days you basically are not hirable, so that was a huge part of our makeup training.

So what do I plan on doing with this new certification? Anything and all things that I can. For now I am going to be breaking into the wedding scene and have already a few weddings lined up. So that is why I haven't been blogging, because I have been in school, finding babysitters to watch my kids, and playing with makeup virtually every day for the past 4 1/2 weeks. Yay for makeup!!!

Pictures of the kids and our latest happenings, will eventually get on here when I get around to it. Hope all is well.

Finally an update!

2010-09-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since I have last posted.

First Zoe:
SHE'S TOTALLY POTTY TRAINED and has been for months now. We are so happy with her willingness to cooperate and she actually gets excited to go now. :) She's is 3, and now going to preschool! She's learning to read and is loving being a big girl now. She loves books and will read them for hours everyday during her quiet/nap time. She's very protective and very sweet to her little brother and they get a long very well. We love her little silly faces, sweet smiles and high energy for life. She's impressed with the simple things of our everyday hussle and bussle and is starting to help out around the house more and more. We can't get enough of her and love her so much.

Dane:
He is 1 1/2 years old and such a delight to have around. We are enjoying watching his new discoveries of the world around him and eating up all of his sweetness everyday. He too is learning to read and enjoying it too. He loves to look at books and have us read to him. He enjoys playing at the gym and having one on one time with mommy while Zoe is at preschool. He loves his big sister and misses her when she is gone.

Taylor:
Turned 30 in August and is in his 2nd year of his ENT residency, and enjoying his life despite the hard hours and call shifts. He loves to run to the kids when he walks in the door and embraces the hugs and kisses for as long as they will let him. He is enjoying the out doors when he can and we enjoy our date nights on the weekends when we can.

Me:
Also turned 30 this month (YIKES) and enjoying 5am runs and watching the sun come up. Discovering myself again through my passions of make-up, photography and my kids. I will be taking a make-up certification class soon and will be excited to be in the class room setting again. Enjoy taking pictures of my kids and learning photoshop elements. I love watching my kids explore the world around them and the simple things of life.

I will be blogging more these days since we are getting my computer freed up from all the pictures it's been carrying. More updates to come from our trip to Utah and our friends Ashley Marostica and her kids visit to AZ.

A Day at the gym

2010-07-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

There is a really fun gym near our house, and a few friends from my ward invited us to join them on a gym day. For 1 hour they open the gym to all ages of kids to just jump, tumble and roll all over the place. The kids had a blast. I think we have two future gymnasts in our midst. We had a lot of fun, and now that Zoe is potty trained we might have to sign her up for a class soon.

Potty Update!!!

2010-07-16T13:47:00.001-07:00

I am probably going to regret announcing mine and Taylor's very great news, but here is goes anyways: Zoe FINALLY figured out the #2 part of potty training.

So instead of screaming horrifying shrills of terror on the toilet, after finding her weak spot (JELLY BEANS, STARBURST, and M&M's) she is now willing to calmly preform her duties. The sticker chart worked wonders for the beginning, but didn't cut it for the entire process. Thank you for all the words of advice, who would of thought a single peice a candy would help her right along. Don't misunderstand here because I did offer candy, it just wasn't the right ones. Anyways, so YEAH for ZOE and yeah for going potty on the TOILET!!!

Dane has, believe it or not gone #2 on the toilet lately, but I will not be training for a little bit longer, he's too little, but anxious to follow in his big sister's steps all too soon.

Potty Training

2010-05-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

IT'S TIME!!! After being on double diaper duty for 15 months!!! (and not having twins as my excuse), it is definitely time to Potty Train my almost 3 year old. (She will be 3 at the end of August.) After talking about it, reading books and testing the waters, I decided to pull the plug this last weekend.

It was actually a poor move on my part because I did it right after she was sick, and I (unaware of my own bodily workings) didn't realize that I was getting sick too. However, we stuck to it anyways, and although we all got this really nasty bug one after each other, Zoe is now almost potty trained. Almost meaning she listens to her body and knows when she has to go pee pee, she is going dry most of the time during her naps, and is waking up dryer and dryer in the morning.

However, my one problem is that she REFUSES, to go #2 on the toilet. I'm convinced that Zoe is totally freaked out about the huge gaping hole below her and is trying her hardest to not fall in. I think she thinks it will swallow her whole if she tries anything beyond #1. She screams horrifying screams if I try to coach her through it, so in the mean time we are still working on that part of things. On a lighter note, we are only 5 days into it, and she really hasn't had very many accidents. She is no longer using her little potty, which is good, but now is completely obssessed with going to the bathroom every 5 minutes (even when she doesn't have to go-- does that stop anytime soon?)

How we did it--THANK YOU to my cousin Kelli, and her great tips on the Elmo Potty Movie, and all the great guidelines she gave, we are on our way to a diaper free Zoe. We made a big deal about the movie and popped popcorn, got little panties, and a sticker book for her sticker chart.

Enjoy the pics, but if anyone has a tip on how to get them to go #2 in the toilet, that would be great.

Recent Service Project

2010-05-12T13:51:00.001-07:00

In the little time I have between naps, errands, parks and playing with my kiddos, I occasionally have the oppurtunity to sit and quilt. Although I am starting to venture out and do other sewing projects, here is my most recent finished quilt. This I made as a little girl baby quilt. I gave it to the girl who won it at the auction and she loved it. It was hard to give away, but I am glad that she liked it.

Family Photo Shoot-April 2010

2010-05-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

These were just taken, and although I need to update this blog with more vacation pictures, I couldn't resist these. Enjoy! If you want to look at all of them, you can go to this link.

http://gallery.me.com/taylorpollei#100287

Still on Vacation - Disneyland-

2010-04-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

So even though the kids are way to young to remember us taking them to D-land, we all know that we go because of the parents right? I've been wanting to take Zoe since she was born, but I am glad I waited because it was much more fun now that she recognizes some the characters. However, rule #1- if your children have nightmares do not take them on the following rides: SNOW WHITE, MR. TOAD'S WILD RIDE, AND PETER PAN.

Our first ride of the day: Snow White. After Zoe saw us cruise on into the dark tunnel on a little car, scary witches started popping out from every corner. Tears and crying soon followed, and we were pretty much screwed the rest of the time. Any tears you see are due to her terrifying experience on Snow White. I tried to redeem myself by taking her on Mr. Toads Wild Ride, but that only made things worse. Then the ride I wanted to go on (Peter Pan), was completely out of the picture. We dragged her on It's a Small World, and then after that she seemed to lighten up.

All in all, we had a really great time with the kids, and they seemed to enjoy it too, (minus any scary witches). We came back to my parents for dinner and to drop off the kids, and Taylor and I went back for the last 2 hours. In an hour and half, we managed to ride, Indiana Jones, Haunted House, Splash Mountain, and Space Mountain. We even got thier famous ice cream cones on the way out. Tickets to Disneyland---$$, Food and Parking--$$$, Mommy happy to see kids at Disneyland-- Priceless.

On Vacation

2010-04-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Taylor is off this week and we decided to get a little R&R at the pool. It has been pretty hot so why not take the kids across the street to the pool they've been staring at all winter long? Mom was a little bit of a wuss and didn't want to venture into the pool just yet, so she decided to take pictures instead. Dane is loving the water and is becoming quite the water King. He has no fear and will walk right in. Despite Zoe's swim lessons last year, she was a little hesitant to swim completely on her own. (It's been a few months) I'm thinking we need to sign both the kids up for lessons this year and soon. In the meantime, Dad makes for a great life guard!

Randomness!!!!

2010-04-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

Between Dane having Pink-eye, Zoe getting into the Lotion, Dane getting back into the tub right after I just got him dressed, Zoe having 5 popcicles, and Dane stealing Zoe's ball, these are just a few of the things that happen on an everyday basis. Enjoy!!!

The ZOO

2010-04-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

So in Philly we used to go all the time to the local Zoo and to all sorts of fun, kid-friendly places. Since we've been here in Phoenix we have been trying to familiarize ourselves with what to do with our kids here. We finally found time to go to the Phoenix Zoo. We got to go and spend time with Abbie, Josh and Tienna too. I think all of us had a fun time, even though the animals were all sleeping (most of the time), it was fun for Zoe to see animals in real life and actually know what she's looking at.

FINALLY!!!

2010-04-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

So I am going to be a little post crazy since my computer is working (for the moment) and I was able to upload the lastes of my pictures to it. Here are a few of the happenings in the Pollei household.

A few weeks ago Taylor and I took the kids to the a Train Park. It has a little train you can ride around and it goes throughout a park with fun slides, and climbing things. It also has a carosel and a Real Train. The kids had a blast, here are a few of their happenings.

RAGNAR AZ 2010!!!!!

2010-03-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

204 + miles later, our team of 12 runners, FINALLY CROSSED THE FINISH LINE!!!! We had our ups and our downs, we threw up, got little to no sleep, partied, and just about passed out when it was all over. We started in Prescott AZ, and ended in Tempe/Mesa AZ. This is our team, (minus 1 who had to go home because she had the hardest legs of the whole thing). Joy was really sick, and we missed having her at the end, but it was fun the first day wasn't it? A small tribute to the boy/runner who lost his life during this race. It was so sad and surreal to hear of someone loosing their life while we ran this race, but life happens, and when it's your time to go, no matter how it happens, the lord is in charge. The 18 year old male was crossing a highway to give water to his team mate who was running at that time, and on his way back to the van he got hit by on-coming traffic. It was 2 am in the morning, and not very lit. We are sadden by the loss that the team and family had to face. It was a bitter-sweet ending to this race. We celebrated by eating at Cafe Rio. I'm pretty sure we all went home and crashed for 2 days Enjoy!!!

Easter Outfits!!!

2010-03-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Although last Sunday wasn't actually Easter, the kids needed to get dressed up in their Easter outfits because they were just begging me to do so. Haha... and because next Sunday is General Conference and we won't be able to play dress up as easily. Well I guess I could get them all dressed and ready to sit in front of the TV and listen to the Prophet speak, but lets be honest, it's PJ's and french toast for us.

We are alive!!!!

2010-03-28T21:58:00.001-07:00

So here is the scoop....

I didn't forget that I had a blog, but I currently have the most annoying problem on my computer right now... I CAN'T UPLOAD ANY PICTURES. Why do you ask does Amber always have problems with her computer?? Hmm... maybe because my little laptop has so much gosh darn stuff on it, that it's taken us literally MONTHS, to clean it all off. So now it is currently all cleaned off, but because both Taylor and I are not computer wizzes, we do not know what happened to the little part of my computer that allows me to add new photos to it. So I must take it in to get "looked at." (again)!!! So here is an update for you without pictures... :(

Yes, I did it, I ran the RAGNAR race (about a month ago). It was awesome, exhausting, sickening, and rewarding. I ran a total of 17 (ish) miles in about 24 hours. We are not exactly sure on the miles because each leg was not mapped correctly, but that was the round about mileage. We had a blast doing it, and I am currently thinking about doing it again. Pictures are to come of this event.

Dane- TURNED 1 YEAR OLD!!!! Pictures to come of this too! He's seriously is the cutest kid ever, and I pretty much want to gobble him up everyday (which I do because I'm mom and as mom I can do that right?)

Zoe- Seriously the cutest little 2 1/2 year old (minus her terrible-two's tantrums, sassiness, and plain old independence). I'm currently trying to read up on how to manage my little Angel and her sweet ways. If any of you have any suggestions on how to raise an almost 3 year old, I would be happy for some advice.

Taylor- Currently entering into his final rotations of his intern year yeah... and is going to be focusing on his specialty now... ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) Head and Neck Surgery. For the past 9 months he's been doing all sorts of random stuff, but now that all those things are out of the way, he can finally start learning what we moved out here to do.

Things are busy, and full of adventure here, but we manage to keep our head above water and tread lightly when we can. Hope all of you are doing well.

Things are busy at the Pollei household!!!

2010-01-17T20:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know that these pictures are a month old, but I don't have any new ones up on my computer yet. So for just a little change of scenery on my blog I thought I would just post something.

As for us, Taylor has been on 7 over-night on-call shifts in the last two weeks. Which means--mommy is extremely exhausted and ready for this rotation to be over. We miss Daddy very much but seem to be getting by.

I have picked up an old hobby-- Running. I am going to be running in the AZ Ragnar race in 35 days or so. It's going to be a ton of work and training to get ready for, but worth it in the end.

Dane-- almost walking and thinking he's pretty hot stuff.

Zoe--- in her big girl bed because she keeps climbing out of her crib. Thinks that she is done napping, but mommy's not giving up. She now has quiet time if she doesn't nap anyways because mommy needs a little sanity during the day.

I will post some more pictures soon... Sorry about not blogging lately.

(Any advice for kids that don't like to nap anymore?)

Pollei Christmas Card 2009

2009-12-17T21:57:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas. Instead of sending tangible Christmas Cards this year, we've decided to save a little bit on postage and go electronic this year. We are having a great holiday season, busy, but as good as can be expected. We miss and love you all and hope that you have a wonderful Christmas this year. Please feel free to browse our card.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Thoughts!!!

2009-11-08T21:33:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure where to begin, but I just feel like writing some of my thoughts down....

If I happen to find a spare minute between naps, dirty diapers and dishes, I find myself trying to catch up on blogs. Which honestly can make me feel really crappy sometimes. Is it just me or am I the only one that hasn't mastered the art of time management? I will read some peoples blogs and it absolutely amazes me the things that they can do in just one week, or even just one day. Some days I'm lucky to take a shower and get out of my PJ's, but for others... they've got their routines down.

On a REEEAALLLY good day, I will.., get to the gym, shower, plan and make dinner, clean my house, take my kids to the park, budget, and call an old friend. But the next day I'm so pooped from the previous day that I have to spend the whole next day recooping.

Honestly, I want to know the secret out there. How does someone get so much accomplished in one day? I think that having kids as close in age as mine probably doesn't really help, but I know that it's been done before... mastering the art of checking off more than one thing of your to do list.

On a lighter note....

Dane is finally not getting up at the 5am anymore, and now that we took Zoe's pacifier away she seems to be a little less crazy all the time. Instead of focusing on where a passie is, she knows that they are totally off limits and finds other things to put in her mouth. Not that that's what I want, but we are moving in the right direction. Dane is getting into everything, but is still slow enough that I can catch him before he truly makes a mess.

Also... can I just take a minute to say that although I want to go completely crazy most days with being an exhausted mom of 2, that I absolutely, 100% love and adore my kids. This does not mean that I don't get mad or frustrated, yell or want to cry somedays. But honestly I must be going through a patience growth spurt because I am more patient with them than I used to be, and maybe due to a little more sleep... but I actually can't get enough of them. (Ok, maybe by bed time I am ready to say good bye), but honestly they are sooo sweet. And of course because they are my kids, I think that they win the award everyday for the cutest baby and little girl contest. Zoe definitely has her moments of ..."why are you doing that??" "please don't dump your toys, I just cleaned them up" or "1, 2, 3-that's it'..Time -Out"... times. But she is so sweet.

For example: When eating something that she really doesn't want to eat, she actually stalls the next bite (which she knows I'm going to make her take), by pointing to her mouth and saying "I finish that...." even if there's barely any trace of food, she will chew it until there's nothing left. It's actually hilarious. Then she will hurry and put what she considers a more desireable "good bite" of food in her mouth before I can get the vegetable in. (I think she gets the "I finish that" line from when I would tell her that she has to finish her bite before she can have a treat/cookie or something. So anyways, so now she thinks that she is quite the tricky one. She also just started repeating things that Taylor and I say... both in context and out. One that's actually really cute is when I go to get Dane out of bed she says: "I come, I come..... " she then follows me up the stairs and trys to beat me to his room. When I walk in, I will usually say: "Hi baby Dane, Hi...." Now before I can even open the door all the way, Zoe will say with a ton of enthusiasm and reeally loud... "Hi baby Dane Hi.." then she will follow it with a quick sniff to his bum and say: "Dane poopy...euw gross" (even when he's not poopy). She even has to give him kisses and hugs too.

As for Dane --He is so cute and so scrumptious that I literally just want to kiss and bite his little face every second. He gives the best slobbery kisses. He gets so excited when Zoe walks in the room and he just loves to play with her. He's actually getting good at tackling her now and she even has to defend herself a little from him these days. He's great a pulling my hair and Zoe's too. He's completely standing and holding on to things, and when I sing to him, he dances and shakes his arms.

I will have to post a video of it soon.

Ok, well now that I've rambled and given you an update any hints or suggestions on how to master time would be exceptionally helpful.

"Happy- Ween...."..... "I Fly, I Fly...."

2009-10-31T21:31:00.001-07:00

Zoe can't quite get the entire saying down right so all night she kept saying... "Happy Ween" and "I fly, I fly...." It was really cute. In case you were wondering she was a pink fairy, magic wand and wings included. She honestly wanted to fly the second we put her wings on and pointed to the door so that we could take her outside so she could test them out. It was really funny to watch her all night pretend that she could really do it. Then when she started to understand why were knocking on doors, she held very tight to her little candy basket. I kept offering to help her hold it, but she refused and kept saying, "My turn, my turn..." as if we were actually taking turns holding the candy. She also kept trying to eat it as we were going, and of course we let her sample a few. The kid did alright for her second Halloween.... too bad she's not going to be able to eat it all.

Trick or Treat-Anybody need a Doctor??

2009-10-31T21:26:00.001-07:00

We couldn't help but have our little Daners wear this outfit. He was so darn cute in his "Doctor In Training Scrubs,"
he was practically offical. His little buddy Eli from next door came over as a "Tool Man," they were soo cute. However, Dane was in the middle of eating a banana, so excuse the mess in the picture.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

Carving the Pumpkins---

So Zoe hasn't ever witnessed the graphic disection of a pumpkin before and was sort of in shock when dad took the first stab. Shortly after the surgical procedure started we heard a lot of "ooohh WOW" and a lot of "Eewws" and a little bit of "I scared" comments come from her little mouth. We had to reassure her through out the process that the pumpkin was having fun and that he liked getting his "face."

After all was said and done and she was able to see the "before" and "after" of Daddy's surgery, she was quite please with the results.

Needless to say she was still a little weary of them when we put them outside, but she couldn't help herself try and blow out the candles either.

More Pictures... too many so here is a link!!!

2009-10-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

Dane turning 7 months old, California... and more!!!

http://gallery.me.com/taylorpollei#100264

Park City and Utah Photo Shoot

2009-10-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

I know I know

2009-10-25T22:50:00.000-07:00

Where are the Polleis????

Well, I have to say we are all over the map (well at least in the Southern West part). So I ventured (to say the least) a car ride out to California to visit my family WITHOUT TAYLOR. He was on call that weekend and we just purchased the newest member of our Family (our new SUV). And I thought that I would give it a go and try to see what a 5 hour trip would be like with two kiddos in the back. Well lets just say 7 stops and 8 1/2 hours later--- I was in Irvine California. Ok, so I probably won't be doing that again for a LONG TIME without someone else. I was only there for a quick visit so I apologize to those I didn't get to see.
We had a fun time and pictures are to come.

Then almost immediately upon my return from California, Taylor had work off and we traveled up to Utah. Again, what should of been a 9 hour drive and a few stops really turned out to be a 4+stop and 11 hours to arrive. Not to mention one of those stops being because Zoe got carsick and THREW UP EVERYWHERE.... on me and all over the seat. It was a wonderful trip besides that and we got to see lots of family. Also a very quick stop, but worth the drive.

Pictures are to come for both trips and for family and friends who haven't seen the kiddos lately.

Updates:

Dane- CRAWLING AND STANDING EVERYWHERE. The kid is seriously the cutest thing alive (apart from Zoe of course) and I want to eat him all day long. He is so sweet and coming alive with his personality. He has this little raspy voice and laugh (no joke we think we need to get his vocal cords checked sometimes), but we absolutley love it. It's soo cute to hear him jibber jabber and find his independence. Last checked- he weighed- 17 lbs and he is almost 8 months old.

Zoe-Little Miss "Prin-ess" She is so fun and talking up a storm. Has recently reverted back to the passie from our last trip to Cali (end of Aug) and will not give it up. She was going to throw up in the car on the way back so we hurried and gave it to her... needless to say she is protective of them now and knows that she is on borrowed time with those things. As of Monday October 26th, we will be once again attempting to take them away. In replacement... a blanket, toy or any other suggestions of comfort would be helpful. She is loving to dance these days and run. Her favorite saying: "Mommy watch....." She's adorable, but mommy's reeeeaaaalllly ready to take that passie away.

More updates to come.

Can't forget the light of my life!!!

2009-09-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

So, no offense to any other members of my family, and especially my little Zoe, but DANE is the light of my life. He is such a sweetheart and sooo good, that I can't help but just be completely in love wth him. He has his moments of fussiness just like any baby, but he truly is so easy. He is ALWAYS smiling, happy and so pleasant to have around. He lets me do what I need to do, tolerates his sister's tight hugs and slobbery kisses, and he eats and sleeps so well. I could just hug and kiss him all day, and I pretty much do. I couldn't not put a post up on his turning 6 MONTHS OLD, and a few updates on him.

He is a second a way from crawling (here are a few pictures of proof) and he loves to observe the world around him. He will watch Zoe for hours, and you can just tell that he adores her. He's always trying to keep up with her as he kicks on his tummy ferociously so as to speed up to her. Although he's not getting anywhere yet, it's only a matter of time before he can tackle her right back and give her lots of hugs and kisses. He is such a delight to have around and really makes our home that much happier.

I LOVE YOU DANE TAYLOR POLLEI!!!!!!!

Zoe's 2!!

2009-09-15T05:29:00.000-07:00

So many of you know that Zoe turned TWO right... (end of last month), but where are the pictures huh?? I haven't posted because things have been so crazy. We threw her a big Nemo pool party and then the next day we rushed off to So. California to hang out with my family for a few days. After we got back, me and the kids (and Taylor a little bit) got really sick. They are still getting over it three weeks later and I'm now completely exhausted from trying to recover myself, and get back into our routine, but we are slowly getting there.

Zoe is such a sweetheart and was so sweet on her birthday. There are so many pictures to show, so I thought I would post a few and then give you the link to my unedited photos. She got lots of fun things for her birthday thanks to all her friends and family. Thank you to everyone that came to her party and for coming and having lots of fun. My little girl is getting so big and so independent. When rested and well fed (hahaha) she is the cutest thing on the planet. She LOVES playing with her new purse and fake make-up and cell phone. She loves playing dress up and putting on her fake jewlery, and she loves pushing her new little shopping cart around. Thanks to Nana, she has some new "High-heels" and earings to go great with all her new accessories. She still loves, Tinkerbell, Nemo and Abby Cadabby. She loves to hold, hug and tackle her little brother. When she's not terroizing my house, she likes to read books, and watch her new favorite movie.. "Enchanted." She just started clueing into what a Princess is, and now is running around the house pretending to be one.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZOE!!!! WE LOVE YOU!

Look for the BaRE NeCceSsiTies!

2009-08-11T23:26:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would do a little plug in for some thoughts I've been having lately. Zoe's latest new movie is the Jungle Book... she asks for it everytime we get in the car to go some where so she can watch it on her DVD player. She loves all the characters... Mogli...the Bear... and the Tiger. She loves it when they sing and dance, but one of her most favorite parts is when Baloo sings "Look for the "Bear" Necessities. I find myself singing a long to this everytime it comes on... but I can't help but think what an amazing little song it really is.

In a time when things can be hard, whether emotionally, physically, or financially.... if we hold on to whats really important than everything will be ok, all we need is the bare necessities.... so here's a tribute to my sweet little girl and to the little lessons that she teaches me everyday-

(My favorite is the very last verse)

The Jungle Book:
Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life

Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few

The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life

Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue ?

The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

So just try and relax, yeah cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
'Cause let me tell you something little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh uh
You're working too hard

And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true

The bare necessities of life will come to you

THE BIG 29!!!

2009-08-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

It was Taylor's Birthday this last week, and we celebrated all weekend. Unfortunately Taylor was post-call Saturday (so he was up for 50+ hours), so he was sorta "drunk" at his birthday dinner, but caught up on sleep Sunday morning when he finally rolled out of bed right before 1:00pm Church. We went to a new Thai food restaurant and than got to go shopping Saturday night. Sunday we had family and Friends over for cake (icecream cake) and his favorite german chocolate cupcakes. It was fun to celebrate his turning one year older.... man can you believe how time flys? HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY-- WE LOVE YOU!!!

The Bear Factory!!!

2009-08-05T00:05:00.000-07:00

We went on a field trip to the Bear Factory... Zoe got to see how they make Teddy Bears, why they got the name "Teddy," and she even got to make, groom and help stuff her very own. She had a fun time and loves her little friends. Dane went too, can't you tell how excited he was about it (haha)...

Kristen, Brooke and Jessica on the tour

Dane just soaking it all in....

Zoe and Tyler feeling the different fabrics of the Teddys

How they actually sewed them all together

The stuffing machine

Mommy and Zoe watching and helping the lady stuff her own bear

Fluffying (aka vaccumming) their bears

Zoe's little friend Aspyn

The finished product.... I think she likes it!

yUm YuM!!

2009-08-03T23:12:00.001-07:00

Dane's been acting like he needs more food after his bottles, but due to my already hectic life, I wasn't really ready to add yet another thing to remember. But, because I love him sooo much, I guess I will start the dreaded chore of starting SoLId FoOds!!! (I was so excited to start Zoe on solids, but this time around, I think I'm a little more sentimental about Dane growing up so fast).

Anyways, here are a few pictures of my little Daners eating GREEN BEANS (yuck)! But he LOVES them!!!

He Has Hair!!!

2009-07-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

This post is to proove that Dane has hair... but not just a little hair.. he has more than Zoe did at this age. It's all over his head, but in pictures, or over skype on the internet... you can't tell he has any. So Mom...there you go, its blonde and getting long. Zoe needed to get in Dane's crib.... she doesn't like to miss out on anything.

Tough Times :)

2009-07-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

Friday night Taylor and I were in Zoe's room trying to rearrange her bedroom furniture. She was playing in her closet, which happens to have everything on the floor right now because we didn't want to put anything in her furniture until we found the right look. Anyways, the poor thing tripped over something, and hit her little noggin. Needless to say it was a giant "goose egg," but after some icing and some cool down time it looks a lot better.

Than, yesterday for our Sunday morning activity, Zoe and I were making chocoloate chip cookies. She was standing on the chair peering into the mixer, and then she wanted down. She took a mis-step and hit her lip on the counter on her way off the chair. Poor thing!!! Yesterday at church she was a good sport about her battle wounds as I proceeded to tell her friends about her little adventures. Anyways... she's a sweetheart and hardly acts like she's injured at all.

Bathtime is fun time... blowing bubble, playing with little brother... whatelse could we do right before bed right?

Gotta love the Fam!!!

2009-07-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

My sister and her hubbie went to a Rodeo in Prescott for the 4th of July.... conveniently we happen to live here so they decided to see us too!!! (haha) .. J/k Mandy!

We had a lot of fun with them and spent nearly the entire day at the pool! Here are just a few pictures of the crew!

Surprise.... I have photos.. 4th of July!!!!

2009-07-16T23:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Belated 4th of July-- We had two BBQ's we went to. The first one we went to was at one of the co-residents Taylor works with... (no pictures of that, but the other one was at Taylor's sister's house-- Abbie- with Josh and Tienna. I didn't get a ton of pictures of Zoe, but you can see at the end of the day she was sick of her Pony tail... gotta love it. And I couldn't resist posting some of the many faces Dane makes....

What's New!

2009-07-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

So many of you may be wondering where all of my photos are... here's the problem (which is always my problem).... I don't have a lot of space on my computer and what little space I do have is already taken up by pictures. We are in the process of putting them on an additional hard-drive but I don't have the "know how" to do it perfectly the way I want to and without loosing all of my pictures. Plus... I'm buying a bigger computer here in the near future, so I will be figuring out all of my pictures on that. But at the moment it won't even let me upload any pictures and I'm very frustrated.... so hang in there, but I have a lot that I want to put on.

Moving on... Updates with us (without photos):

Dane: 4 months old: Rolling over and GIGGLING, GIGGLING, GIGGLING!!!! He is so darn cute. All you have to do is look at him and he smiles and laughs. He is sooo patient when Zoe "kisses" him (aka-licks) his face, pokes, prods and rolls on top of him. I literally have to protect his life everyday. She means well and just wants to play with him constantly, but despite her rough housing, he absolutely loves her. She can get him to stop crying and smile most of the time. He is sleeping better than I expected him to after all the moving and changes we have been through. He is sleeping about 2 hours in the morning and 2-3 in the afternoon, with an additional 1 hour or so nap in the late afternoon/early evening. He goes to bed at 7:30 and doesn't eat until 4 or 5 in the morning... he's doing great! His little personality is coming out and is proving to be quite the little comedian. I really do think that he will be the calm one in the family with inserts of comic relief. I just love him so much and can't get enough of him.

Zoe: 22 months old: Taking swimming Lessons, blowing bubbles under water, and pretty much the pool Queen. She can't get enough of the Arizona sun and requests upon waking up to "go bye" ....which basically means anywhere outside of the house. She is loving everything that AZ offers, including the splash pads, mall parks, a bigger home to run in, and her new little friends. Recently going "Pa-eee" aka "Potty" is very fascinating for her and has me put her on the toilet whenever she thinks she needs to go...(which is every hour). However, today is the first time she actually peed on the toilet and didn't just sit there. She's learning to read (aka-- recognize words) slowly but surely. She has a new favorite sesame street character.. "Abby," but I don't think this new love will rival Elmo or Tinkerbell her all time faves. She is feisty but lovable. I can't get enough of her enthusiasm for life, but would love it if she took longer naps for me. She's such a sweet heart.

Amber: Also enjoying my new home and AZ weather. Although hot, it's NOT humid, and I love my new heated pool, parks, malls, ward and friends. I'm slowly but surely adjusting to our new environment and loving that I don't have to drive 20 minutes to get groceries, Del Taco (a family favorite--which I couldn't go to in Philly), or Costco. Everything is pretty close to our house and I think we only have a few more boxes to unpack. I'm getting used to waking up early (which for me is anywhere from 5-6 these days). Which you can't help because the sun comes out at 5am. I'm enjoying all the little playgroups that I can take my kids to, and watching them grow. Although it seems it is always a balancing act, I am sorta getting the hang of it now and am settling into a routine. I have a million and one projects I'm working on, but am enjoying the process. It's great to see Taylor as a "Doctor" now and I have found that his "on-call" shifts and long hours, aren't as bad as we anticipated. However, it is only a month into his job, I have a feeling that we will be able to get through his residency without freaking out because he's gone all the time. It really isn't that bad yet, and I think if it does get "bad" we are ready for it.

Taylor: Sleep deprived, but ecstatic to be a "Doctor!!" He gets about an average of 5-6 hours a night, and takes about 1-2 call shifts a week (which is a 30-36 hour non stop shift). However, he doesn't come home and sleep because he'd rather work on a project on the house or get more settled in with this or that. He takes time out when he comes home to go to the pool with us, eat dinner, and even help do the dishes. He is super Daddy when he walks through the door because he doesn't take a break, but jumps right into the role he has of Hubbie and Daddy. The kids adore him and light up when he comes home. We've been having fun dragging him to the Water park that is near by and organizing the home.

To sum things up -- we are all adjusting well and to Taylor's intern year. Come and visit if you are in the area or need a reason to get out and vacation... we have lots to do here and plenty of space for you!!

More Pictures of us in Az

2009-06-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

My mom also came with us.... This is us right before she had to leave. Also, a quick dip in the pool...which is literally right directly across from our front door. It's been really hot and great to have that right next to us.

Now for the Upstairs!

2009-06-30T13:51:00.001-07:00

I know it's kind of hard to see what is what, but I promise I will be posting more updated pictures.

Better Late than never I guess.... Part 1 (more pictures later)

2009-06-29T23:06:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry for posting these so late. I have been in Arizona for about three weeks now and I am sad to say this is my first post on the house. I've been meaning to do it but we finally got our internet working right before we left to Utah, and now we're back and Taylor is offically a Resident. Things are a bit more calm and we are feeling like we are finally settling in a bit more.

So for those of you who haven't seen pictures of our house... these are when we first moved in. We are much more settled in and I only have a few more boxes left to unpack. Actually looking at these now I kind of feel like the house looks a lot different now. Anyways, I hope you enjoy, and more are to come.

(REMEMBER THIS WAS THE FIRST DAY....Things don't look like this anymore... when I get some more paint on my walls... I will take more pictures and you can see what we really did with the rooms...and sorry about them being all over the place)

The Latest

2009-05-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

I apologize to all of you that have checked my blog and have been disappointed to see the same old post there. I am now in Southern California at my parents house. We are now adjusted to the time zone and the kids are having a blast with my family.

I owe a few pictures to the past few weeks.... so here it goes:

CONGRATULATIONS DR. POLLEI-
Among the many things a wife can be proud of her husband for I think graduating from school, preforming their children's baby blessings, follwoing through with household duties, and husbandly duties is a good start. I have to say that I am so proud of Taylor for all that he has accomplished. He graduated with High Honors, scholarships and with a successfull match to his choice of residency. All of his 20 years of shcool has led up to this point in his life, and I am so excited to say that he made it. We still have a long road ahead of us, but a girl couldn't ask for more. Taylor is a wonderful friend, husband, and father. Thank you honey for working so hard and for always making things work out for us. The lord has blessed us so much. We can't wait to start our new life in Arizona. Good job honey!!!! (Zoe walked across the stage with Daddy in her cap and gown.... it was so cute)!!!!

Update!

2009-05-05T10:20:00.001-07:00

How is everybody out there in blogger land?? I am a little busy these days trying to tie up a bunch of loose ends. Lately we have been getting together with our friends that we are going to have to say goodbye to soon (sob sob) and visiting places we haven't seen before we move. When we got to Philly 4 years ago we saw a lot... Delaware, New York, and various parts of Pennslvania. But believe it or not we hadn't seen Washington DC yet. So we packed the kids up last weekend and went on our mary way. That was a lot of fun and pictures are on there way from that trip.

In the mean time, I am just trying to keep my head above water and prepare myself for the big move and Taylor's graduation.

Our timeline....

Taylor's Graduation: May 15th
Fly out of Philadelphia (Kids and me) May 20th -- then I fly to California (not directly to AZ)
Taylor and his dad pack up the rest of the house and drive Cross Country May 23rd-- he will drive straight to AZ
Then I fly out of California to AZ with my mom and kids on June 1st

I have a little less than 3 weeks to say my goodbyes, give my hugs, pack the house and fly to Cali, lets just say I'm experiencing a bucket load of emotions right now.

Also, I need to address my last post.-- My Aunt Vicki pointed out that I know more people in AZ then my new next door neighbor... and she's totally right. What I meant was I didn't know anyone in my immediate area, however, I do know quite a few people in AZ, and I am so excited to be close to them too!!! A big shout out to my cousins-- Heather and Joy. Heather is in Prescott Valley with her children, and Joy is in Queen Creek with her two kids. Both drives are totally doable and believe me will be done on numerous occasions. I can't wait to see you two.
Then.... one of my best friends - Kristi Tibbs lives in Tempe, where her husband is going to Business School. Also, some old time friends of ours the Kunz's live in Tuscon. Not to mention Taylor's life long buddy Rob Fisher in Gilbert. And I can't forget Kerry and Allen - Taylor's aunt and uncle on his dad's side.

So... all in all Yes... I know many people in AZ and we couldn't be more excited to be closer to all of them.

Updated pictures of our House

2009-04-26T18:34:00.001-07:00

So I have a cool story...

Taylor's ENT Residency Program at the Mayo Clinic accepts only 2 new residents per year. This year they accepted Taylor, and another graduating medical student- Santino Cevantes, who ironically is LDS. What are the chances of that happening right? So we were so excited that both Taylor and Santino matched at the Mayo, especially since they already knew each other and worked together. (They both did away rotations last year at the same time-you know when we were traveling all over the place). Not to mention that Santino has a wife with a brand new baby boy a few months older than Dane. So we were hoping to get together and do somethings right?

Well, they too needed to buy a home since they were going to be out in AZ for 5 years and it only makes sense with the market these days.

So we told them to check out our neighborhood to see if they liked it and the area. It turns out that they did... and they bought the house right next door to us!!! How awesome is that? I don't know anyone in AZ, yet I sorta do already. I take that back, I get to live about 8 minutes from my wonderful sister-in-law Abbie for the next year before her husband graduates from Midwestern Medical School. (Hopefully they will stick around in AZ for his residency, we will have to wait and see on that). But I am so excited because I already know someone I can borrow a cup a sugar, go on walks with the kids, and she will totally understand exactly what we are going through.... her husband will be doing the exact same thing.

So what are the odds-- Only 2 residents per year, both happen to by LDS, both with kids, and now both living in the same neighborhood-- as next door neighbors. Does the Lord work in mysterious ways or what?

Anyways, here are the pictures Santino sent us of our homes when he was in AZ last week. We are on the end and they are the tanish one right next to us. The next one is our our two homes and the connecting side yard aka "our backyard." Then finally, the third one is our view of the pool from our porch.

Cool huh!!!

Typical Scene in the Pollei Household

2009-04-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

This is what we see everyday after Zoe's traditional "after dinner treat a- "COOKIE" (really an -OREO)! In Zoe's mind the only cookie out there is an oreo. We've given her others, but her absolute favorite is the OREO. She is such a professional oreo cookie eater, that she even does the twist lick and discard. Yup, that's right, normally it's the twist, lick and dip method your used to, but for Zoe, the actual cookie part is pure garbage... she only lkes the white, fatty cream stuff. Then, when she's done with that she asks for more after chucking her remains to the floor. Lately to avoid wastage of oreos... we buy the double stuffed (I know we are bad parents) and that way she gets double the cream but only wastes one cookie. Anywyas, heres the BEFORE:

And the AFTER:

We've also started doing the double bath thing...this save me time and energy. It's so fun having two kids right?

Dane's Easter Pictures

2009-04-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

Dane's Easter basket was full of candy and toys... none of which he can actually eat and or play with, however it was still fun to decorate it for him. Also this is his first official church outfit that my friend Kelley got him. He looks like a little man/"old man" as many have said... but still we love him and he's totally a stud with that vest and orange shirt. Needless to say we had a crazy photo shoot after church. (ps- the Dodge Ball DVD was all Amber's idea, I promise :) hehehe -Taylor)

Easter Pictures

2009-04-20T14:34:00.001-07:00

Zoe's Easter Pictures.... This is her dress that she got from Nanna (my mom). It's still a little big so we had to wear a sweater to make sure no cleave was showing...haha... but still it was cold so it was worth her wearing. It's a great little pink dress and it has the cutest cap sleeves, however Zoe wouldn't really let me take her picture let alone get a decent shot of her dress. Also, here is her Easter basket, one in which she was definitely not shy about digging right into.

Meet the newest member of the Family!!!

2009-04-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to put this map of where exactly we will be moving. Here it is. We are the big blue dot.

We did it... we actually bought our very first home-- Yea!!! It's quite exciting, but also a little scary. Now... we actually have to be grown ups and pay a mortgage. However, we couldn't be happier. Although this economy has been really hard on the country right now, some of us are benefiting from a great buyers market.

Here are a few pictures of the house. The animated one is of what our home will look like when it's done. Right now it's being finished, and when we move we will be happy residents of Stetson Valley in Glendale (really Phoenix- Arizona). Taylor's commute to the Hospital will be 15-20 minutes. We are near grocery stores, malls, pools, shopping centers, and parks!!! To me that is so exciting because right now in Philly we drive a long way to get to those necesities.

We are thrilled and can't wait to greet our new family member when we get to Arizona.

Kitchen

bathroom

bathroom

The view of the pool from our window

Update

2009-03-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

DANE had his month old appointment today and he was a whopping 9 lbs. 10 oz. Ok, just to remind you he was born at a whopping 7 lbs. .5 oz... he is getting big FAST!!! He is sleeping wonderfuly and nursing great. He's such a good baby and he hardly cries (except for the normal things baby's cry for like- food and dirty diapers-- and even then... he's so good that he really doesn't really even cry much for those things. He's very patient and a very pleasant baby. He cringes when his big sister runs around the house screaming, but he seems to tolerate her hugs and licks (she still hasn't figured out the closed mouth kisses yet). I think he is adjusting to being in our busy home very well.

ZOE LOVES DANE and is getting quite good at helping me burp him, change him and even throw away his dirty diapers. She gets so excited to see him every morning when she wakes up and asks about him through out the day if she doesn't see him (like if he is in in his crib napping). She is hilarious and totally talking more and more. She has discovered what a phone is and uses anything and everything as a phone. She walks around talking to Nanna and Papa on her fake phones--saying "Hallo" and "Bye" and talking in total jibberish. She can say purple and yellow, and has a new and keen ear for airplanes and helecopters. She's always noticed them before, but now, even when I don't hear them she will point to the sky to the most faint engine sounds and get really excited. She is still obessed with balls, babies, and dogs and loves looks out the window to watch our neighborhood squirrels scury on our back porch. She walks around her with babies patting them on the back and burping them, and I have even caught her trying to give them a bottle every now and then. She loves to hug baby brother and hold him, but only for about 5 seconds and then she is done. She is full of life and energy.

TAYLOR Taylor is excited to have matched in Arizona and is using a lot of his time right now to help us find a home. We are having a lot of fun house searching and exploring our new stopping grounds on google map. He is doing a Radiology rotation right now and is finalizing his last few weeks here in school. He is packing, cleaning, babysitting and learning the ropes of his new job coming up. He can't wait until we move--we are soo excited. However, he says that he is sad and will miss Philly a lot--- it's definately a bittersweet moment for him.

ME I am just as thrilled about Arizona and too have had a lot of fun searching for a home to buy. I am thrilled with my growing baby boy and my little Zoe girl and how much both of them change so much everyday. I am so proud to see their individual accomplishments and have been adjusting as well as a I can to this new balancing act. I get excited if I get a nap and a load of laundry done these days. My latest exciting news for myself is that I am only ten pounds away from my pre-prego weight...and I am excited because I am almost coming up on my 6 week post partum mark-- yea- Gym here I come!!!

We are trying to do the last bit of Philly stuff here and enjoying our days as much as possible before we really have to leave. Life is stressful, exhausting and exciting...whaat more could we ask for right?

Baby Dane

2009-03-31T18:33:00.000-07:00

Baby Dane is now a month old, but we just got back his newborn (2 week old) photo shoot. Here are a few of his pictures.

(Thanks again Danica it was really fun to take these shots-- We love them)!!!

Match Day is Here and the Verdict is in!!!!

2009-03-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

Well after 4 years of hard work, dedication and total commitment to his goal of graduating Medical School, it has all come down to this day--MATCH DAY!! Everywhere 4th year medical students around the county open letters of where they have matched in their choosen field of medicine. Taylor interviewed with 12 different ENT programs, and hoped to match one of his top 5 choices. Well we are proud to say that all of his sacrifice, long nights and days of studying and sleepless hours of hard work have finally paid off.

We are officially going to THE MAYO CLINIC IN PHX ARIZONA- Otolaryngology -ENT- Head and Neck Surgery!!

We are soooo excited and can't wait to start this new chapter of our lives. We couldn't be more proud of our daddy and hubbie. Thanks honey for working so hard and making it all worth it in the end. Taylor's first choice was the Mayo Clinic in Arizona-- so we are as happy as we could be with this match. We are sad to leave friends and family that we have met here in Philly, you will always be a part of our lives and be in our hearts. This is a bitter sweet experience for all of us.

WAY TO GO TAYLOR!!!!

Below are some of our friends that we have gotten to know over the last few years.... we are excited to say that they too matched and were quite pleased with their mathces as well.

Birthday Tribute!!!! March 2nd 2009

2009-03-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is a little late, but I was sorta in the hospital on my mom's birthday and was a little out of it. So... Now I am saying Happy Birthday to the most wonderful mother in the whole world.

I really do have the best mother in the world. She has always been there for me, through good times and bad. I pretty much talk to her everyday, and I call her for just about everything. You are the greatest mom!!!

Mom... thank you so much for all that you do, for all that you are. You have always been an amazing example to me and I hope one day I can be just like you. You are a Martha Stewart and Jack of all trades. I love how you can cook, quilt, paint, design, decorate, show love, compassion, service, and good work ethic. You are a dedicated woman to your children, husband and callings. Thank you for always knowing what to say and how to say it. I LOVE YOU--HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!

(Nanna came to visit and we are sad that she is gone... but know that we love you and miss you tons-- thanks for coming to visit)!!

More Pictures

2009-03-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

First Day Home

2009-03-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

Daddy and Zoe are so excited to play with and hold baby Dane. Here daddy is attempting to put his little (but huge pants) on. And Zoe in her ever famous pink chair wanted to hold baby Dane while watching her movie. It's been a smoothe transition at home and great to be a family of 4. Dane is adjusting wonderfully to his new surroundings and Zoe is loving her new baby brother. It's quite rewarding to see how special their bond is. Daddy has been a tremendous help and I am recovering well. I hope you enjoy the pics!!!

Last day at the hospital!!!

2009-03-03T15:17:00.001-08:00

Here are some of our last photos taken at the hospital. Seen here is one of two of my most favorite doctors in the world (minus my hubbie --hahaha). This is Dr. Mehta-- the one that delivered Zoe and has been my primary ob doc through Dane's pregnancy. (The other doc is in the same OB Practice Dr. Johannson-who was also a major part of both Zoe and Dane's pregnancies). Anyways.... I reeeallly wanted her to deliver me but she wasn't in the hospital on Friday and Dr. J was in Costa Rica.... However, she's the one with magic fingers and who stripped my membranes so I can't be too mad at her. Even though she wasn't able to deliver me, she was able give Dane his circumcision. She came up to my room and surprised me by dropping by. I was so excited to see her and to find out that she did his circ. I just love, love, love her. If anyone needs a doc I HIGHLY RECOMMEND HER and or Dr. Johannson. The other pictures are of us leaving the hospital in our handy dandy double stroller. And just for those that haven't had a chance to check our link of pictures...another couple pictures of Dane. Isn't he a good looking kid or what?

He's Here--Meet Dane Taylor Pollei

2009-02-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

He's here..... February 28 2009!!!

Weighing in at 7 lbs. 5 oz, 20 inches long.

Our story:

On Friday 2-28-09, at 3pm my doctor stripped my membranes.... by 10:00 pm I was starting heavy labor. Decided to leave the house at 10:45pm. Arrived at the hospital in major pain and dialated to a 5. Within minutes I was at a 7 (even before they submitted me to the actual labor and delivery room). (In our hospital they keep you in a Pre-labor unit to get you prepped for the real thing)!! They were taking TOO LONG--because I needed to push right then and there. When I said that and after violent vomiting, they finally got my IV in an sent me upstairs. I got my epidural a half hour later, an then they broke my water. Within 20 minutes I was at dialated to a 10 and ready to push. I started pushing at 1:28am and he arrived at 1:35am. I even appartently pushed him out without a contraction. Apparently you only push on your contractions, but hey can you blame me.... he was coming and I couln't wait any longer. He was healthy and happy when he came out. He is doing great, latching on phenonmenally and sleeping great. I am recovering well with little pain and happy to be breast feeding again. Zoe came by today to meet her little brother and they seemed to be quite happy to reunite after not seeing each other for 18 months!! They are exactly 18 months and 2 days apart. We couldn't be more excited to have this little guy here (especially me--haha)! He looks like Zoe, and he looks like a little of this and that... you decide for yourself. I can't add pictures to the blog for some reason, but I have created a link for you to see our pictures... I hope you enjoy and more are to come. p.s. these are not edited or anything...just straight off my camera.

Love and miss you all.

Taylor, Amber, Zoe Brooke, and DANE TAYLOR POLLEI

http://gallery.me.com/taylorpollei#100195

Baby Names

2009-02-24T12:48:00.000-08:00

Some people have asked us if we have any names yet.... Well we do, but we don't! We can't decide and probably won't decide until we see his sweet little face. However we are truly up for suggestions at this point. We aren't really revealing the few that we have only because we are so unsure about them... but if you guys have any suggestions for us-- we would love to hear them. This little guy is on his way and we need to get this figured out. Maybe one of you guys have a name or two that we haven't thought about yet.

Baby Shower/Dinner

2009-02-24T12:40:00.000-08:00

My friends are so awesome. I am seriously so blessed to have them in my life. They are family away from family for me. They wanted to throw me a shower, but I thougth it would be much funner to do a girls night out at Cheesecake Factory. I'm sad that not everyone was able to make it, but for those that did, thank you so much. We had an absolute blast. I am sad that I am moving because these girls are irreplacable.... thank you for all that you do--- Love you guys!!!

Behind me: Ashely Marostica, Heather Johnstun, Chaci Fisher- across from her is: Julie Dawson, Kelley Meier, Kay Montgomery, and Amanda Knickerbocker.

Daddy at the Please Touch Museum!!

2009-02-21T11:01:00.001-08:00

Daddy finally got to go see what the big deal was about PTM.... and guess what, he loved it and I think just as much as Zoe does. They were playing in the pretend McDonalds eating a hamburger, riding on the Merry-go-round, painting rose flowers in the Alice and Wonderland zone, and playing with the froggies in the rainforest room. We all had a lot of fun... but it wore all of us out and when we got home Zoe crashed and mom and dad were pooped for the rest of the day. We love it when Daddy's home on the weekends-- it's so much fun to go and play!!!

The PTM!!!

2009-02-21T10:30:00.000-08:00

So in an effort to "run" my little puppy dog out.... I take her to the PLEASE TOUCH MUSEUM!!! The greatest place in Philadelphia for little kids. Zoe can run, and run, and run.... and I don't worry about her braking anything. It's like a disneyland full of creative theme rooms, arts and crafts, and hands on interaction. She has a blast everytime we go. So far I set a new record and went 5 times this week. Only because it's freezing outside and I don't want to take her to the parks that are wet and cold. And the other is particially selfish on for me, because I have to chase after her, and I am hoping that I go into Labor with all the walking around that I am doing. But no worries for those of you that want my other little monkey to bake longer.... he's not going anywhere. By the way I am 38 weeks on Tuesday....Still at 4cms... and hanging in there. If anyone wants to join me in my PTM excursions.... your more than welcome to come. Here are some pictures of friends that we went with this week. Zach and Kate Marastica, and Celab Knickerbocker....

My little Monkey

2009-02-21T10:17:00.000-08:00

Ok, so my little monkey is quite the independent one. I ran upstairs to grab something leaving Zoe downstairs to watch Elmo... her favorite buddy. Apparently however, he was sorta boring for her, because when I came back down stairs, this is what I saw. Our mini DVD player- open and on as if I set her up with it. This was, by the way on the top of my couch, where I had just put it momentarily so she couldn't get to it. The little munchkin climbed onto the couch, got it, opened it and then turned it on. Needless to say I was glad she didn't break it, but it was really funny because she was quite proud of herself that she managed to turn it on. Let alone without mommy, and without getting in trouble. She normally would have, but it was too cute and funny to get mad at her. So I let her watch Dalmations while I finished up my morning stuff. Thanks Grandma Pollei for the movie... she loves it!! Ruff, Ruff!!!!

Family Pictures

2009-02-17T09:40:00.000-08:00

So this amazing photographer... Danica Nelson, mother of two and wonderful person took our family pictures for us. We are so happy with them.... Thanks Danica you did awesome yet again. Here is a quick sneak peek at her talent and our pictures. She's amazing and did wonders for the circumstances being as Zoe would not look at the camera---she's 17 months old what else can I expect? If you need a photographer go to her website, plus there are more pictures of us that I didn't post. Again Danica-- you are amazing, thank you again for taking these.

Check out her website at: danicanelsonphotography.blogspot.com

Response

2009-02-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

Hi guys...

Ok, so I laughed when I read your comments to my last post. Ok, let me clear some things up. When I say that I am desperate to get this baby out.... I am NOT --LET ME REPEAT--NOT Desperate enough to try Castor Oil!! In fact I don't think I would ever try it even if I was at my 40 week mark. I too have heard horrible stories and wouldn't want to wish that on myself on top of labor.

Also...I am pretty much ignoring my contractions (advice of my nurse) because I have them all day and all night. Hence that is why I am so dialated and why I am so anxious for them to kick into true Labor. However, I am not really doing anything out of my normal routine. I can't for the sake of my 17month old hang out in the house all day... so we go on walks and to the Please Touch Museum to get out of the house. If I happen to go in labor than I am ok with it. You must remember what it is like the last few weeks of your pregnancy... No Sleep, bathroom visits all throughout the day and night, and the ever-most popular feeling of not being able to breathe.

So no worries, this baby will come when he wants to, I obvisouly can't do anything about it because nothing seems to kick these continual contractions into high gear. So for now, I ignore, wait and pray that things move along soon and that time passes quickly. However, if I am still prego by 40 weeks, I think I might take some of your advice to help this little guy along his way.

Thanks for caring, and you're all right... he does need to stay put. (but not for long right?)

Smiles =)

Hey Friends and Family...

2009-02-15T15:21:00.000-08:00

So I am officially 37 weeks on Tuesday, but I thought I would share my good but proving to be bad news so far.

So I go in for my 36 week appointment and find out that I am 4cm dialated. Ya--- can you believe it? Ok so I had contractions for two days straight and still nothing right after my exam. I actually went into the hospital because they were so frequent (3-5 minutes apart) for several hours. My nurse thought that I might be more dialated and that I might be in true labor. But of course when I got there, they slowed down and I was still at a 4cm--so they sent me home. I was so bummed. I am just at that "please get this baby out of me" stage and totally willing to have this kid any day.

So its actually been bad that I know I'm so far dialated because now I am expecting every little braxton hicks to turn into labor. My doc says that I could go any day, but here I am still preggo. So against my own mother's wishes... I've tried to jump start this labor. (She thinks he needs to bake a little longer--which is probably true... but if he comes he comes and I am not against that at this point). I've had spicy food --peppers, sushi and I've tried walking around as much as possible--but nothing is working. I am not desperate enough to try castor oil because I'm seriously not even full termyet, but my am getting reeally anxious. Technically I am full term on Tuesday so I think it's fair game that he come any time after that. My doc says that he is about 7 lbs and would be fine if he came after 37 weeks. So any suggestions as to how jump start labor---I am up for anything. (Oh and yes, I am aware of the other thing that I can do---no need to mention it- because seriously... that's just not quite comfortable these days--hahaha)!!! I will keep you all updated.

Zoe update:

"Coo--kee Peees" (cookie please) is what we hear after dinner just about every night. I can hand her any kind of cookie: chocolate chip, anmial, whatever...but the only one she wants is an Oreo. So you would think that she would just devour the whole thing.. Nope not Zoe. She has seriously mastered the twist, open and lick method. No joke she can even pull off the entire circle of frosting. She discards the actual oreo part when she's finished with all of the frosting and she turns to me and says..."more cookie!!" We've resorted to breaking the cookie in half so she thinks that she's getting two cookies instead of one. We really don't mind her eating them since she only has one a day and the girl could definately use some calories.

Her latest sayings are:

Please and Thank you... which sound more like: "Pees and Tank--U"

She of course can point to and say:

Shoes, toes, eyes, ears, mouth and nose. If you ask her where mommy's baby is, she runs over to my belly and lifts my shirt up and blows zerberts on it. If you ask her where you belly is, she unfortunately calls it "baby" too and laughs histarically. She even thinks daddy has a baby... we will have to clear this all up after the baby comes.

She can give high-5's and must give everyone a high-5 if they are in the room. She even has to give it over skype if she sees you.

She loves to run around the house from one end to the other screaming, dancing and twirling in circles. She makes herself so dizzy that I have to watch her so she doesn't hit anyting.

She gives us big hugs and kisses around our necks and is such a sweetheart.

We are sad that she won't be the only little baby in our lives because we are so used to doing just her.... but we are soooo excited to meet her little brother. I think she will be a great big sister. One that I will have to watch very closely...but still be so proud and excited to have him in our home.

Thats a little glimpse into our lives. Pictures are coming ... I know---they've been coming. I'm working on it.

Pregnancy Update

2009-02-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone.... so I know that I have been really slow at my blog these days, and I can only hope that you understand I am really busy... and totally tired these days. Yea-- for almost being done!!! I am 36 weeks yesterday.... can't wait to be full term! These pictures were taken by my life long friend Ellie... we've known each other since elementary school. She lives in NY and came to visit us this past weekend. Thanks Elle for taking these shots!

The Pollei's are alive

2009-01-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

Hey all-

So I am starting to get emails of friends and family members wondering if the Pollei's are still alive. Ya we are.... barely. Hahaha...

We are officially back in Philly and just now settling back in. We have been cleaning house and packing house since we got here. We subleased our home to a really nice medical student, but I'm not sure that he cleaned much so we've had our work cut out for us since arrived. I'm a little scared about monkey #2 coming and I only have 4-6 weeks left. If I had him about the same time as Zoe I would be having him Feb 29th (my due date is March 10th) So in the mean time, I have been trying to do everything I can to get ready for him and pack what we can in the house. Zoe is finally adjusting to her crib again and most of the time sleeping through the night. I have finally come to the realization that I will probably be getting up with two kids for awhile....or just as long as Zoe adjust to him and his noise in the house.

-By the way.--- does anyone have any advice to give for transistioning a 17month old to being an older sibling? They will be about 18 months apart and I am not sure how she is going to handle sharing mommy and daddy.

As for Taylor... HE IS DONE, DONE, DONE...Interviewing!!! yeah!!! I can't tell you how great that feels. He will be ranking a total of 12 programs for his ENT residency match. We find out where we are moving on March 19th! We will be moving hopefully West of Texas, but he did interview at a couple of East Coast programs (none in PA) so we could still be out here. He is currently finishing up his last few mandatory rotations and then he's done and graduating on May 19th.

We are excited to be home and to be settled for a few months at least. I will be posting pictures soon. Sorry about my lack of blogging posts--I will be better at that now that we are back. Hope to hear from you.

Ok... Sorta Cool.. but I know I am lame!

2008-12-19T16:33:00.000-08:00

So this last summer I was obsessed with watching So You Think You Can Dance...One of the best Dance shows out there and MUCH BETTER THAN DANCING WITH THE STARS---

One of the girls that I liked was Kherington. She unfortunately got kicked off after she made the top 10. She wasn't my number one choice but still... I liked her dances with Twitch and some of the other guys. So anyways..... I was at South Coast Mall (in So. Cal) yesterday with my parents, hubbie and Zoe. She walked past us and I thought it was her, but Taylor was convinced that it wasn't.

I knew we would argue about it forever and ever.... (and yes I am admitting he watched it with me so he does know who she is)
But... I am sick of him thinking I am crazy when I say I know someone but just can't figure out how I know them. (We have this thing where I always say... I know that person... and he always says know you don't, but my problem is I can remember a face just not exactly where I know them from.

Anyways.. after following her around in Sephoria... (I was sorta being a pregnant stalker lady).... I just went up to her.

OF COURSE I WAS RIGHT!!! It was her. She was so nice and she was with this ugly boyfriend of hers, but he was a nice guy, just not cute enough for her. Anyways... We chatted for about 5 minutes and I got the scoop on her. She's filiming a moving called "FAME" and she keeps in touch with the other contestants. She's from OC and grew up here so it was only natural for her to be at South Coast. So there you have it... I met Kherington from So You Think You Can Dance. She met Taylor and Zoe too, it was really fun, but NO I didn't ask for a picture because I thought that would be for sure lame. Although I would of loved one anyways.

So just for fun... The biggest celebrity I have ever personally met (other than Donny and Marie Osmond--who don't count because I grew up with Donny and Debbie and their kids in my home ward)..... Is...Robert Redford, I have personally met and spoken to to him. I worked at Sundance in their restaurant and of course being as he owned the whole restaurant it was only natural that he would eat there. I was his server. I also saw Sally Fields visiting there too.

I am curious, I know some people have seen celebs... but have you ever met and chatted with anyone really famous? If so, do tell--- I would love to know!

Funny Faces!

2008-12-05T15:49:00.001-08:00

So while Zoe was eating lunch one day she was in a very silly mood. I happen to have my camera right there to catch her in all her glory... (please excuse the messy face).

Her pointing to her "nose" (even though those are her ears... we're still working on this one) heehee...

Where's Zoe?? Peek-a-boo!!

I caught her right in the middle of her jibber jabber words... I think she was telling me to get her our of her high chair..

Patty-cake Patty-cake..Baker's Man...Pat it and Roll it and MARK IT WITH A "Z"

And throw it in the oven for Zoe and Me!!!

TUB TIME!!!

2008-12-05T12:07:00.000-08:00

So after dinner (or any meal for that matter).... Zoe is usually ready for the Tub. But no one is allowed to say the "T" word because she will immediately spit out her food, rip off her bip and any other clothes that she is wearing. I try to get her to eat as much of her dinner as possible before we resort to telling her it's tub time. Now it's become quite the ritual at dinner, and we all fight over who gets to say it to her first. These pictures only capture a glimpse of her excitment to get in.

Utah Pictures

2008-12-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from our stay in Utah. Here is a quick shot right before church. Zoe is at least looking at the camera this time...

Daddy is DONE with all of his away rotations YEA!!! Well at least the ones that we've been out here traveling to do. (So once again...the rotations he did were at... UCI (in Irvine California- my hometown)... Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and U of U in SLC...
Currently Taylor is interviewing for residency positions now. But before he left to go do those, we were able to get some good down time and play lots with him. We went to the park, shopping and hung around at Grandma and Grandpas. We are thrilled to be finally moving on with his interviews.

More pictures at the park... Aunt Aubree got to come and play too... (And Christmas came a little early for Zoe... we let her have her little car/bike early). Plus I had to get some shots of her cute pig tails.... she loves the car and thinks that she's quite the big girl now!!

Family Pictures

2008-11-18T13:42:00.000-08:00

Here are some family photos that Jessie took for us (Taylor's little sister). These were meant to be Christmas pictures but we ran out of time and we are going to take them over again...so this was more like practice for us. It was FREEEZING and as you can see we all look pasty white and cold. Not the most flattering shots. Zoe wouldn't even look at the camera and was sorta throwing fun little tantrums... so we will attempt this again soon. But for your viewing pleasure... here ya go!!

Finally the Prego Pics...

2008-11-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken quickly and with no thought to them, so unfortunately they are blah and blurry. But for those of you who have been bugging me to get pictures up...here ya go.

Oh, and since I don't have a scanner that I am traveling with... I can't scan our baby's ultra sound, but it's been confirmed... we are officially expecting a boy. We went back to Philly in October and had another ultasound. This one was at 20 weeks... the baby was definately much bigger than before and much easier to see. (The first ultrasound was when I was only 13 weeks). So... there you go... Names are still to be decided and probably will not be revealed until birth.... so no more asking... jk.

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-11-01T14:27:00.001-07:00

Zoe was a Butterfly!!! We went trick or treating with my sister Aubree, brother Blake and Mother-in-law Becky. We had so much fun. Enjoy the pictures.

More Pictures of us in Az

2008-10-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

This is Zoe's sleeping arrangement... we have her in a closet stuffed with pillows all around it so she doesn't bonk her head. The other one is with her in Tienna's rocking chair watching Elmo. The only two times throughout my days that I get any break... nap time/bedtime and watching Elmo.

Daddy also decided that Zoe needed to get her hair done... so he took the liberty of getting her dressed and ready for the day. I had to get pictures of her first pony tails... notice they are with barretts... haha... at least he tried. Thanks Daddy for getting her ready for the day.

Playing with Daddies and Books

2008-10-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

This is Josh and Tienna (Abbie's husband and little girl-Taylor's sister). Tienna has a lovesac in her room and the girls just love to play and crawl all over it. Everyday they get a running start from the hall and just lunge for the lovesac. Daddies were home that morning and they got to read to the girls. We have had so much fun playing all day long. Arizona is hot but very doable. Thanks Abbie and Josh for our stay in AZ. (We leave tomorrow morning to Philly for 6 days)!!

Travel Log... Starting from the beginning of our Trip

2008-10-16T15:34:00.000-07:00

This is my cousin and her two kids, Juliet and Davis....They came to visit for Zoe's Birthday! Thanks Kell again for watching Zoe for me and keeping her busy while I went to my scrapbook convention.. Zoe told me about all fun she had at Legoland and playing with all your kids toys.. We miss you guys.

Here is my Family... Mom and Dad.. Mandy and James (the other married couple), Blake (single and totally available) and Brenan (13 yrs. old) and Aubree (the Bachelorette- not available because she's too young --haha a sophmore at the U of U) and of course the three of us. Thanks guys for letting Taylor and I crash in Irvine for so long. We miss you and the weather.

Missing Philly Friends

2008-10-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys... I know that you have been waiting for these picture and I can finally say that I cleaned out all my hard drive space on my computer so I can finally upload the digital cards that I've been keeping for months now.

Here is some of us at one of our favorite Sandwich Shops-- Potbelly. The girls gathered to wish me off one last time before we left on our four month excursion across the country. I miss you guys... I hope you visit Pot belly often-- I sure miss it. I will be in Philly on Monday if anyone wants to go to lunch!!

Update!

2008-10-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all of your advice gals... I have been reading it and implementing things that I thought would be helpful, and trust me things have gotten better.

I think her crackiness has been from many factors, but one that is for sure is the teething thing.
She still only has the one on bottom and now there is two coming in on TOP! Yup the first one finally broke a day ago and the other one is on its way. Being able to see progress is great and I feel like there is sorta light at the end of the tunnel because she is sleeping through the night better now that the one has broken through.

Ever since she was little I have played a water cd (complimentary of Happiest Baby on the block--I highly recommend it) and she at this point really relys upon that to calm her down. I am crazy because I cart it when we travel, but as many of you mentioned the "white noise" really does wonders for the sleeping. I think this will be done for awhile --probably all up until baby #2 comes. Then I will continue to do it because I want that same calming effect for him as well. Thanks for the encouragement--I didn't know that so many other moms rely upon those same tactics.

Also... it was encouraging to hear that other babies teethed just as late. So Zoe has hope for the rest of hers to come in --Yea!!

Arizona is beautiful and HOT!!! However, give me the heat any day over the cold and snow. Taylor is really enjoying his rotation and seems to be making a good impression. We can definately see ourselves here for residency. Cross your fingers for us!!!

Our schedule.... We are in town (AZ) until Oct 18th. Then we leave to Philly for a week. Then we fly to SLC on Oct 25th. We will be in Utah until Thanksgiving. Plans after that are still up in the air, but we most likely will be back to Philly in January.

We miss all of our friends in PA, but are enjoying our travels. Love to all across the miles.

DG Songfest 2008

2008-10-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

Aubree is my little sis and she is at the University of Utah. She is part of the greek sorority system... She's a DG... anyways here is her latest thing.

(Post entered by mom)--Go Aubree (she's the cutest one up there- 4th from the left with the "D" coming out of her head--blonde)

The DG's had songfest and for the 2nd year in a row they won. This means they beat everyone on Greek row, boys included...As you can see by their outfits, they did the Sound of Music. Aubree was so excited when she called me. This gives them bragging rights all year. DG's rock, way to go!

Desperate and Tired

2008-09-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Experienced Mothers:

Here is my current situation, I need your help---

The good news: Zoe actually broke a tooth!!! Yup-- for all of those who don't know- Zoe has been a toothless baby all up until two weeks ago. This is a HUGE deal because I have been giving her baby Tylenol everytime I "think" she is teething which puts her back to about 4-5 months old. (The kid has serisously drunk --I dunno how many bottles of motrin and tylenol-- which I know can't be a good thing). So for once it was nice to see that she actually needed the medicine.

But here is my problem---the other tooth was suppose to come within a week of the first, right? Hmm...well still nothing and she's still GRUMPY!!!

When, Zoe was little she had acid reflux until she was about 9 months old, thus I was up a lot with her until then and she finally started sleeping through the night when that let up.

However, with all our travelling we have been doing she is (although adjusted to the time zone), still all out of wack with her sleeping. She consistantly wakes up sometimes even twice a night. Here are my guesses as to why, tell me what you think?

1. She pees and wakes herself up (I know this from experience last night because it was everywhere)

2. She getting more teeth

3. She's having nightmares

4. She wants a bottle and thinks it's mommy time at 4 am in the morning.

Ok before you go jumping to conclusions... I have no problem letting her "cry it out"..except for that fact that we are not at MY HOUSE! Thus she crys...she wakes everyone up--obviously not good a good thing. How do I stop this new found habit again but still attend to her needs?

So which is it.... 1, 2, 3, or 4? (anyone have experience with Nightmares/terrors?- Do night-time diapers work better than normal?)

By the way Zoe's official record for "crying it out" is 3 HOURS ---yes that's right.... 3!!! It probably would of gone on more, but I couldn't take it much longer so I gave in let her have a bottle. This was months ago, but nonetheless, she does not give up easily. (At that time she was probably 9 months old).

Does anyone have kids that teethed this late? Am I in for a long stretch of teething or -Will they all come in at once? When exactly are they done teething anyways?

Another situation... I am trying to get enough sleep so that when baby #2 comes... I can have enough energy to deal with more sleepless nights. Do I keep them in seperate rooms? Do I put them in the same room? I put Zoe in her room that first week she was born...... I can't sleep with her in the same room not even now, so I can assume that with this next one right?

I know all kids are different, but if any of you are still reading this amazingly long post...

remember Zoe will be 19 months old so it's not like I will be able to communicate very easily with her on this matter, but any advice or words of wisdom would be much appreicated.

Desperate for Sleep....

Amber

Drum Roll Please!!!!!

2008-09-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, so many of you know this already, but I wanted to space out my posts since there has been so much going on in our lives lately... I thought I would stretch our good news.

I am 15 weeks tomorrow, but I got an ultra sound at 13 weeks----and although it is only 99% accurate... Zoe is going to have a little BROTHER!!!!! Yea!!!! we are soo excited and cant wait to meet this little guy. I was thinking that I was going to have a boy, but being as all the grandchildren are girls so far, we were gearing up for another little princess. However, I think that this will be the perfect addition to our little family. Zoe will adore her little brother (we hope) and if she doesn't, we will just teach her anyways. We will be getting my follow up ultra sound at 20 weeks when I am back in Philly in October to verify the ultrasound. However, I am pretty sure its a little boy because I saw his little --- and so did my mom and husband. That may explain why I have been soo sick. Well there you have it, there is the news-- and we can't wait.

As for Taylor... he just finished his internship at UCI on Saturday and he is gearing up to drive to Arizona on Thursday. Zoe and I will meet up with him in a week or so. We have had a great time in Cali so far and are so excited to move onto Az and Utah in the next few weeks. Good job Taylor for finishing UCI's butt kicking, and tireless program... you rocked.

A quick walk down memory lane--Tribute to Zoe's 1st year of Life!!!

2008-09-09T22:41:00.002-07:00

Just a quick look back at this last year...and a few pictures of our most precious moments watching Zoe grow.

Zoe- we love you and couldn't imagine life without you. You have been such a blessing to us and we just love you to pieces. Thank you for coming to our family and teaching us about love, patience, kindness and happiness. You make us laugh all the time and we love watching you grow and learn new things everyday. Happy Birthday Zoe Brooke Pollei!!!!

Cake Time!!!

2008-09-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

Zoe was so funny about her cake. She wasn't quite sure what to think at first, and then she just kept going for the red flowers. She loved the chocolate part too, but I think what was the most entertaining...was how dainty she was about the whole thing. At first she didn't know how to attack the thing. After a few tastes and no intervention from mom, I think she finally realized it was ok to get a little dirty and dig in. I still had to probe her a little to eat the actual cake part, but she eventually got the hang of things. Yay Zoe!!!!

Zoe's 1st Birthday!!!

2008-09-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

So even though I didn't get this post up until now... we did manage to celebrate Zoe's Birthday ON her birthday... AUGUST 26TH!!! Being as I have been a frequent visitor to the bathroom more than I would like and my nausea is still very present, I opted for a very low-key and quaint birthday party for Zoe. I don't think I could of done much more and really it was just nice to spend this time with family--in person and not over the phone or on Skype acorss the country.

Although we sorely miss our Philly friends Zoe still managed to have a good birthday party. The theme was "Birthday Princess"!!! Hahaa... I know really original, but I couldn't resist the hat and wand. She had her very own birthday cake personally made by the baker himself..and a very lovely cake for the rest of us, courtesy of my mother. (I feel like a yucky mommy since I can't do much for her, but I promised Zoe and myself...they we would try harder next year....and--I can guarentee I won't be puking my guts up then If I have anything to say about it.)

Anyways... so she didn't particularly wear her crown for long but she did like carring it around and waving her wand for eveyone to see. She was a perfect angel all day and even though we kept her up way late to open her presents and eat her cake--(we had to wait for daddy to get home from the hospita) ---she was a champ her first birthday and tackled her cake and presnts like an old pro. She was so sweet and such a delight to watch open all of her presents, she's quite animated for a 1-year-old.

Zoe is so funny to watch... She got lots of books, clothes and little toys, but it was quite apparent what her favories were... her baby doll (mommy and daddy), barbie doll and laptop (nanna and grandpa) and her very own nail polish set (grandma and grandpa Pollei).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZOE ---WE LOVE YOU!!!!!-- Cake pictures are too come!!

I know..I know...

2008-08-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

ok, ok so I am a tad bit lame and way over due for my posts. Here is the latest so that I can gain a little sympathy for my really bad and long streak of non-bloggging. (pictures are too come)!

August--Month of Change-

August 9th... TAYLOR'S BIRTHYDAY!!! Yes we are officially in our "late 20's"--- Taylor turned 28 this year. We went to breakfast in Lancaster with some long time friends and totally pigged out on pancakes, waffles...eggs benedict.....bacon and whatever else you can think of when you eat breakfast...if it was there I think we tried it. Then we went to P.F Changs for dinner had ourselves some good old lettuce wraps, kung-pao chicken, some other chicken (can't remember the name) and a huge slice of their famous chocolate cake... yum!!!! (Thanks to Amanda and Pete for babysitting).

August 14th... MOVING DAY! Yup that's right...for those of you who don't know, Taylor is doing 3 away rotations--- 4 weeks at UCI (Irvine, California), 4 weeks at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale AZ, and 4 weeks in SLC at the U of U. Zoe and I are with him and so we are not in Philly right now. Currently we are basking in the Sun in good ol' Cali, but because I am soo sick, we settle for the backyard pool rather then venturing to the beach (which we will be doing shortly). We are here until mid Sept and then we leave to AZ for a month and so on. I will be staying in California for the majority of my time here mainly because it's hard to travel and I need all the help I can get with Zoe. (Nanna is coming in real handy =) and so is Brenan surprisingly)!! We have sub-leased our house so we really can't go back until Janurary of next year. Taylor will be interviewing all the month of December for ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) or aka Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Residency positions. We won't know where we match until March (right when I am due).

August 26th....Zoe turns ONE!!!

So as you can see I have been busy packing my house up for a 6 month adventure on the West Coast, taking care of my "oh so independent little one" and trying to not be too sick. I promise I will be more on top of the blogging and for those of you awaiting your photoshoots... they are coming on will be shipped soon.

What??!!??!!?

2008-07-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

Sooo.. Zoe has something to tell all of you!!

Ya.. you read it right!!! Are you freaking out yet???? Zoe's not but mom is! Hahaha!! So the rumor if you haven't heard by now is... True!! I am due March 10 (but Grandma Corbin's b-day is March 2nd so she might have to share her birthday!!! ) So this might explain the lack of blog entrys lately and the photoshoots that I have yet to post. I've been feeling really yucky so far, which is new for me, since my last pregnancy I was hardly sick. We are thrilled and can't wait to meet our new little arrival. Yes... it was planned and they will be 19 MONTHS A PART!! Yup... I know, I'm crazy. So there you go-- that's the latest!

More pictures from the 4th!!

2008-07-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

More from this 4th of July Month

2008-07-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

So sorry that the rest of our Niagra Falls and Palymra Trip are just now being put on our blog. We had soo much fun. With out going into major detail on every single picture... I will just say that the pictures with us in yellow raincoats are of us going down under the waterfalls (Bridal Vail is where they let you walk right up to and get all wet.) They call it "Cave of the Mists" And Yes... we took Zoe right up to it. She got sopping wet, but of course I don't have a picture to show you of that because my camera needed a new battery exactly at that moment.

The ones with the blue raincoats are when we went on the "Maid of the Mist" boat ride. This one is where you go up to both the Canadian and the American Falls and get to be all up close with them. It was so darn wet that at one point you literally can't see anything except white mist--it's quite blinding actually. Nonetheless we didn't spare our 10 month old and she of course got sopping wet there too. Despite our wettness it was quite hot that day so it was refreshing to get a little cooldown throughout the day. In future pictures... if you see little people with yellow raincoats walking around on stairs under a waterfall... those I took from the boat. (and thats just a better look at where we were with our brave little Zoe).

AND THE WINNER IS.....

2008-07-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

Brooke!!!!!!

The name of my photography will be known as:

AMBER POLLEI PHOTOGRAPHY

Yea!! So I know what you are thinking--it's not very original-- and I could have come up with that one all on my own, but I had to see what else was out there. After reading all of your very amazing suggestions and thinking really long and hard about this (I know its seriously not that big of deal), I decided to go with something that used my name, but wasn't too difficult to remember. Special thanks to all of you who participated and tried hard to help me out with this.

My goal: To build my portfolio. My website is "under" construction right now and therefore is not viewable at this time. That's where you guys come in. I am possibly moving from Philadelphia in less than 1 year, so unluckily I might not be here for long.

In the mean time I am looking for willing participants to let me snap pictures and build my portfolio. Although I am going out of town for a few weeks starting in September, I would love to squeeze in as many of you that would like to particpate. I will take pictures of anything you want.. family, kids, babies, bellies, and engagements.

Prices:

$35- For my travel, session fee & DVD

Session will be 60-90 minutes in length and your choice of location
DVD includes 100+ images including black and whites of all images

Portraits will also be availble to order if you would like

You can contact me at: amberpollei@mac.com or you can call me if it's easier

(Brooke you won---contact me when you want to redeem your session)

Our Trip Part 1--

2008-07-09T18:43:00.001-07:00

For the fourth of July weekend we went to Palmyra NY and saw the Hill Cumorah, Sacred Grove, Visitor's Center, Smith's Family Farm, and Home, the Grandin Publishing Inc.. (orginal publication spot of Book of Mormon), and sites of the little town. It was very spiritual despite the long dry and crying baby in the back seat... we really had a lot of fun. We have more photos to come of Niagra falls.