I have many topics that I want to blog about (currently I am only blogging about them in my head) but work has been super crazy. The more I work, the less I blog... but I am going to make it my mission to get caught up on my blog when we get back from vacation.
Anyway, today I had a great day with Ryan. I am really loving this age. Here is a list of my favorite Ryan things these days.
1. When he is so excited to read his books that he climbs into his book bin and sits with them.
2. Our slow dances in the kitchen. We listen to music a lot when I feed him lunch or dinner, and then we are done, I pick him up and we dance around the kitchen. He loves it and I love it because I am sure the day will come when he will no longer want to dance with me.
3. His extra social personality. He "talks" to everyone (and everything including his toys), he waves to complete strangers as we walk past them, and he is always drawing attention. He is my little social butterfly.
4. When he is ready to get our of his crib in the morning or after naps, he throws his binky and lovies out of the crib. Then when I go back in to get them, he points to them as to say "hey, how did they get our there!"
5. Also when its time to get out of his crib, all I have to do is but out my hand and he will give me his binky because he knows he is not allowed to have it outside of the crib.
6. His awesome, very wet, kisses on our cheeks.
7. How he runs to the bath tub, trying to take off his own clothes, when he hears the bath water running. After lots of months hating baths, they are now on his list of favorites.
8. All of a sudden, he understands how to use sign language for "more" and he uses it correctly all of the time.
9. He points to things all over the house as to ask "whats that."
10. He loves his "kitty cats". He points to them, says kitty, pets them nicely, tries to give them hugs, chases their tails, and brings them their toys.
I could go on and on, but those are my very favorite RJ things as of right now.
Ryan is 13 months and 2 weeks old.
The Taynors
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Birthday Details- Construction Truck Theme
I have been wanting to write this post for 3 weeks now, but I was waiting on pictures to post along with it. My friend Jill is a great photographer and she came to the party to take pictures, your the best Jill! Here is how I went about planning and preparing for Ryan's first birthday party.
Theme- I picked the theme because I wanted something very boyish but I didn't want to do something that he is going to ask for in a few years. So I figured trucks are very boy but not a common request (especially not construction trucks).
Decorations- The initial idea came from a birthday catalog. So I went to birthday express and did some brainstorming. I didn't just want to buy the whole birthday set, but it was a good place to start getting ideas. From there we did the basic things like plates, balloons, constructions hats and cones.
Theme- I picked the theme because I wanted something very boyish but I didn't want to do something that he is going to ask for in a few years. So I figured trucks are very boy but not a common request (especially not construction trucks).
Decorations- The initial idea came from a birthday catalog. So I went to birthday express and did some brainstorming. I didn't just want to buy the whole birthday set, but it was a good place to start getting ideas. From there we did the basic things like plates, balloons, constructions hats and cones.
Banners- I wanted to have the birthday banners that a lot of people are using at kids birthday parties (happy birthday, high chair banner, 0-12 month pictures). The debate was whether I should make them myself or have them done. I know I could have made them and they would have been fine... but I decided to contact a friend of mine from growing up and ask her to do them. She does a great job, and these banners came out WAY better than if I did them myself. I highly recommend Uniquely Me Design if you are looking to have decorative banners made for any occasion (you can also find her on Facebook)! Thanks Tiffany!
The Things I Made: Now that I had the basic decorations and my banners, I had some ideas of what I could do to personalize it. I did a little bit of research online and I found a file that contained all different things to use for a construction themed party. You can print it all out using card stock paper and make your own decorations. So from that file I made construction signs, the tags for the favors, labels for the water bottles, and decorations to put in with the food.
Then I wanted to do something with some of my favorite pictures from Ryan's first year, so I made a photo collage in the shape of the number 1 to hang at the party.
Food- I kept the food pretty simple. I ordered sandwich platters and between my mom, mother in law, and sister in law, they handled the sides and salads. The party was at noon so I just did a light lunch. I had beer and wine (its not a party in my family without the booze haha). Plus I wanted to make sure everyone had room for dessert.
Cake and Favors- My sister in law was the one to get us our awesome cake! She found a baker by her that does beautiful custom cakes, and Ryan's turned out great!
In addition to the cake, I made home made "Dirt" pudding for dessert and chocolate cake pops for favors. This was my first experience with making cake pops, the first round went terrible. But once I got the hang of it they weren't so bad. I would make them again for another occasion. The hardest part was wrapping and tagging them after the chocolate shell hardened.
And lastly, Gymboree had a whole construction truck clothing line this spring, so I was able to get a cute shirt that went along with the theme!
Overall, I think it was a good day. I was disappointed about the abrupt ending but there is nothing I can do about that.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Big Boy Room
We won't be making this transition for a long time, but recently I have been thinking a lot about how I want to decorate Ryan's "big boy room." Maybe its because I did a gender neutral nursery, I am anxious to give him a little boy room. I have a vision in my mind of what I like, but I can't really find it online. I like the navy blue, white, and a red accent color scheme. I am thinking boats, sailboats, whales, nautical... something like that would fit this color the best. When I search this idea online, I find a lot of create crib bedding and nurseries that are decorated like this, but not much for an older boy.
I want to be able to find some of these links in the future so I will list them here for future reference. These are all for crib bedding, but at least its the right idea.
http://www.target.com/p/Sail-Away-by-Bedtime-Originals/-/A-13540460
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/speedboat-2-bedroom-set/?pkey=e%7Cboats%7C20%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C11&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-
http://www.landofnod.com/baby-crib-bedding/kids-bedding/sail-on-crib-bedding/f9956
This is a blog about doing a "Ships Ahoy" bedroom:
http://designdazzle.blogspot.com/2009/09/ships-ahoy-its-boys-room.html
Who knows, I'll probably change my mind several times between now and when we actually do the change, but there is no harm in looking around. I think at this point I know more about what I don't want than I do about what I do want. If we go with boats or nautical, I don't want pirates! And I want to try to avoid anything thats too cartoony. I like the idea of old fashion sail boats and a beach house kind of feel. We will see what actually happens.
I want to be able to find some of these links in the future so I will list them here for future reference. These are all for crib bedding, but at least its the right idea.
http://www.target.com/p/Sail-Away-by-Bedtime-Originals/-/A-13540460
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/speedboat-2-bedroom-set/?pkey=e%7Cboats%7C20%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C11&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-
http://www.landofnod.com/baby-crib-bedding/kids-bedding/sail-on-crib-bedding/f9956
This is a blog about doing a "Ships Ahoy" bedroom:
http://designdazzle.blogspot.com/2009/09/ships-ahoy-its-boys-room.html
Who knows, I'll probably change my mind several times between now and when we actually do the change, but there is no harm in looking around. I think at this point I know more about what I don't want than I do about what I do want. If we go with boats or nautical, I don't want pirates! And I want to try to avoid anything thats too cartoony. I like the idea of old fashion sail boats and a beach house kind of feel. We will see what actually happens.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Happy Birthday, Ryan!!
We figured out very quickly that Ryan likes to give me a run for my money, keep me on my toes. He loves giving me a story to tell. I should not have been surprised that we ended up in the ER 3 hours into his 1st birthday party! Before the trip to the hospital, it was a great day... so lets start with that.
The day started with Mike and I going in to wake up Ryan and sing happy birthday. He just sat in his crib looking at us like we were nuts. We quickly got up and dressed and ready and headed over to my parents house to get ready for the party.
The party was at my parent's and started at 12. We went with the construction truck theme which was a lot of fun to do. I'll talk about all of the details of the party and the theme in the next blog post. Ryan has lots of people that love him, so it was a very crowded party. My family and Mike's family were there, Pop Pop, Nan, some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins, and LOTS of Ryan's new friends. It was a bit crowded and overwhelming with all of the people, but it was great to see so many people who wanted to come and celebrate with us.
It was pretty much your typical 1st birthday party. We had a kids room full of babies (I think it was 10 babies under 2 years old), we all ate lunch, we opened presents, and we had cake. This is where things got interesting!
Ryan LOVED the cake. He couldn't get enough of it. He was smashing his hands and face in it, eating as much as he could, and just taking it all in. He really had fun doing the first birthday smash cake thing. I noticed he was rubbing his face so I let my mom do the cake cutting for everyone else and I took Ryan upstairs to get him washed off and changed. As soon as we got upstairs I noticed he was breaking into a horrible rash (or at least that's what I thought). I got nervous and called my mom up to take a look. By time she got upstairs, Ryan was completely broken out in hives. His face, neck, arms, and hands were all covered in huge, red, swollen hives. Ryan was hysterically crying and scratching his face until he was bleeding. As the hives started to spread down his body and all over his chest, I started to panic. My Aunt Diane is a nurse and my Uncle Scot is a paramedic, and they both thought the best thing to do was to get him to the emergency room just in case it got worse and started to restrict his breathing. So Mike, Ryan and I jumped in the car and got him to the hospital... leaving our 40 guests behind. At that moment, I didn't care. We just needed to get him help and quickly. Now the joke is that Ryan really knows how to end a party.
Ryan sobbed the whole way to the hospital. It was not his normal cry, but a very miserable, uncomfortable cry. The one positive is that when you walk into the Emergency Room with a screaming, red, blotchy baby, the nurses pay attention to you. We got help very quickly. The nurses got him back to see the doctor pretty much right away. In the hospital, like 5 different people had to come up and ask us questions. When they would ask what happened and I would say he had a reaction to the birthday cake, they would ask whose birthday cake he was eating. When I explained that it was his own first birthday cake, they were shocked. Apparently they never had a patient break out into severe hives eating their own special birthday cake before!
The doctor gave him a shot of Benadryll pretty quickly and the hives slowly started to go away. At this point Ryan was totally exhausted and falling asleep in my arms, but we had to stay for observation to make sure he didn't have a reaction to the meds and to make sure the hives were truly going away. We weren't there long when we were discharged. I kept thinking that some mom was just a few floors up, having her first baby, just like I was exactly one year before. By time we got back to the party, the party was over and cleaned up. The rest of the day, Ryan was pretty cranky and groggy. Even though he wasn't himself, the hives were almost all gone.
I went through the whole spectrum of emotions yesterday. I was excited for my baby's birthday, scared about the rash, panicked about the spreading hives, relieved when they started going away, worried that it would get worse, sad that Ryan had to go through that pain/discomfort, and disappointed that the party I planned and worked so hard on had to end in that way. By the end of the day I was exhausted. The next step is to see the pediatrician on Tuesday and then go to an allergist after that to see what was really going on.
So it wasn't the birthday I had planned for Ryan, and we had some unexpected drama, but I think overall it was a good day. Most of the party was a success and in the end Ryan was feeling better so everything turned out okay. One thing I know for sure, we will NEVER forget Ryan's first birthday!
12 Month Update:
-He is just about to switch to 18 month clothes
- Weight: 22lbs Percentage: 25-50%
- Just starting to transition from 12 to 18 month clothes and size 3 to 4 diapers
-Ryan is full out walking now. He will still crawl if he needs to get somewhere very quickly, but otherwise its all walking.
-He gives the best kisses, waves to the cats, plays by himself, reads his books, "talks" on the phone, digs through his toy box, and overall he is much more of a boy than a baby!
-He is talking much more. Not real words, but strings syllables together that sounds like sentences. When I ask him questions, he replies to me. Even though it doesn't make sense, he is definitely answer my question.
-He can identify things. If I ask him to get his book, he can walk over to his books and bring me one back. If I was were is Dad, he will point to a picture of Mike. This is crazy to me, because it really makes him seem so much more grown up.
-We are going to start transitioning off of formula bottles (not sure what we will give him instead just yet) and I am trying to give him more regular food and less baby food.
-There is probably so much more, but that's all I can come up with right now.
I probably won't be doing monthly updates anymore... I'll just update as exciting things happen. Right now I feel like Ryan changes every single day but I am really LOVING this age.
The day started with Mike and I going in to wake up Ryan and sing happy birthday. He just sat in his crib looking at us like we were nuts. We quickly got up and dressed and ready and headed over to my parents house to get ready for the party.
Ryan sobbed the whole way to the hospital. It was not his normal cry, but a very miserable, uncomfortable cry. The one positive is that when you walk into the Emergency Room with a screaming, red, blotchy baby, the nurses pay attention to you. We got help very quickly. The nurses got him back to see the doctor pretty much right away. In the hospital, like 5 different people had to come up and ask us questions. When they would ask what happened and I would say he had a reaction to the birthday cake, they would ask whose birthday cake he was eating. When I explained that it was his own first birthday cake, they were shocked. Apparently they never had a patient break out into severe hives eating their own special birthday cake before!
The doctor gave him a shot of Benadryll pretty quickly and the hives slowly started to go away. At this point Ryan was totally exhausted and falling asleep in my arms, but we had to stay for observation to make sure he didn't have a reaction to the meds and to make sure the hives were truly going away. We weren't there long when we were discharged. I kept thinking that some mom was just a few floors up, having her first baby, just like I was exactly one year before. By time we got back to the party, the party was over and cleaned up. The rest of the day, Ryan was pretty cranky and groggy. Even though he wasn't himself, the hives were almost all gone.
I went through the whole spectrum of emotions yesterday. I was excited for my baby's birthday, scared about the rash, panicked about the spreading hives, relieved when they started going away, worried that it would get worse, sad that Ryan had to go through that pain/discomfort, and disappointed that the party I planned and worked so hard on had to end in that way. By the end of the day I was exhausted. The next step is to see the pediatrician on Tuesday and then go to an allergist after that to see what was really going on.
So it wasn't the birthday I had planned for Ryan, and we had some unexpected drama, but I think overall it was a good day. Most of the party was a success and in the end Ryan was feeling better so everything turned out okay. One thing I know for sure, we will NEVER forget Ryan's first birthday!
12 Month Update:
-He is just about to switch to 18 month clothes
- Weight: 22lbs Percentage: 25-50%
- Just starting to transition from 12 to 18 month clothes and size 3 to 4 diapers
-Ryan is full out walking now. He will still crawl if he needs to get somewhere very quickly, but otherwise its all walking.
-He gives the best kisses, waves to the cats, plays by himself, reads his books, "talks" on the phone, digs through his toy box, and overall he is much more of a boy than a baby!
-He is talking much more. Not real words, but strings syllables together that sounds like sentences. When I ask him questions, he replies to me. Even though it doesn't make sense, he is definitely answer my question.
-He can identify things. If I ask him to get his book, he can walk over to his books and bring me one back. If I was were is Dad, he will point to a picture of Mike. This is crazy to me, because it really makes him seem so much more grown up.
-We are going to start transitioning off of formula bottles (not sure what we will give him instead just yet) and I am trying to give him more regular food and less baby food.
-There is probably so much more, but that's all I can come up with right now.
I probably won't be doing monthly updates anymore... I'll just update as exciting things happen. Right now I feel like Ryan changes every single day but I am really LOVING this age.
Friday, March 2, 2012
One Year Ago
Tomorrow is my baby boy's 1st birthday! It has me thinking about what I did the weeks before he was born, last year. I stopped working January 28 and went on maternity leave. That gave me 1 month home to prepare for baby. I can remember spending hours and hours in "the baby's" room getting things ready... folding and organizing clothes, decorating, sitting in the rocking chair and imagining what life was going to be like once baby arrived. The room has such a different feel to it now that it is Ryan's room. We still spend lots of time in his room, folding and organizing clothes, but now he plays with his stuffed animals and books while I'm doing it.
The month I was off from work, I would walk the mall almost every other day. It gave me something to do, a way to get some "exercise", and I was hoping that the walking would lead to an easier labor (apparently it worked). I also went through the typical nesting period. I think I cleaned out every single closet, drawer, room of the entire house. Eating pineapple and doing squats became part of my daily routine... I had heard that those things help bring on labor, so I tried it all. Looking back, I wish I wasn't in such a rush and next time I will enjoy the waiting game instead of rushing the baby out.
For some reason, I had a feeling that I was going to go to labor in the middle of the night. Well I was right! I would go to bed most nights wondering if that would be the night... and then when I would wake up in the morning feeling the same, I would just think "I guess today is not the day." I never even considered that I would go into labor during the day. Weird, right?
Anyway, I can remember this day last year (March 2, 2011) perfectly. I woke up around 8 am feeling very big and pregnant. I had a 10am doctors appointment to check on my progress. Dr. Azu did my check up and said that I was one centimeter dilated and the baby was very low. That was exactly what the doctor had told me 2 weeks previously, so I left feeling a little bit frustrated. I was trying to convince myself that this baby wasn't going to come for another couple of weeks, a bit closer to my due date (March 15, 2011). After the appointment, I went to the mall for my daily walk. That particular day I walked three miles around the perimeter of the mall. I would get my decaf coffee and walk as quickly as a 9 month pregnant mama can walk around the mall (it was me and the senior citizens doing their power walk).
After the mall walk, I met my mom for lunch. She knew I was starting to get bored home by myself so she would meet me for lunch frequently. We went to Nino's pizza and I had a great meatball parm sub. The lady at the table next to us asked me when I was due, and when I told her she got excited and said "Oooooh, that baby is going to come any day now! Hopefully not while your eating lunch!" Little did any of us know that Ryan would make his arrival the very next day. Later in that evening, Mike's parents came down to take us out to dinner (yes, I ate A LOT the day before Ryan was born haha). We went to Chili's and I had an appetizer, dinner, AND desert!
Besides all of the eating, I did a few other weird things. Its almost like I knew something was about to happen... but I had no reason to feel this way. I felt great, I wasn't cramping, and I had no reason to suspect that I might go into labor. But that afternoon, I texted Jackie to make sure she would be my contact person for the girls when the time game. I called my mom to make sure she knew the plan for when I went into labor. When Mike's parents went to go home that night, I joked about how funny it would be if they drove all the way home and then we called them to tell them I was in labor and they should come back down. I asked Mike to take one more picture of my pregnant belly (I'll post the picture in a few days). I even went to bed instead of staying up to watch a movie with Mike and said I wanted to get some sleep just in case something happened that night.
I was right, something did happen that night...my water broke at 3:30am and Ryan was one his way! Its almost like subconsciously I knew it was going to happen. I always knew I was in tune with my body, but I didn't think it was like that!
Anyway tomorrow is the big day, the big first birthday party. I have such mixed emotions. I am so happy that he is growing and happy and healthy. I can't wait to see what this next year will bring us. But I'm also sad that he is growing so fast and he is no longer my little baby. I miss the newborn moments so much already. That little boy has stolen my heart and I absolutely love him. One year old is going to be great. I am really enjoying this stage!
The month I was off from work, I would walk the mall almost every other day. It gave me something to do, a way to get some "exercise", and I was hoping that the walking would lead to an easier labor (apparently it worked). I also went through the typical nesting period. I think I cleaned out every single closet, drawer, room of the entire house. Eating pineapple and doing squats became part of my daily routine... I had heard that those things help bring on labor, so I tried it all. Looking back, I wish I wasn't in such a rush and next time I will enjoy the waiting game instead of rushing the baby out.
For some reason, I had a feeling that I was going to go to labor in the middle of the night. Well I was right! I would go to bed most nights wondering if that would be the night... and then when I would wake up in the morning feeling the same, I would just think "I guess today is not the day." I never even considered that I would go into labor during the day. Weird, right?
Anyway, I can remember this day last year (March 2, 2011) perfectly. I woke up around 8 am feeling very big and pregnant. I had a 10am doctors appointment to check on my progress. Dr. Azu did my check up and said that I was one centimeter dilated and the baby was very low. That was exactly what the doctor had told me 2 weeks previously, so I left feeling a little bit frustrated. I was trying to convince myself that this baby wasn't going to come for another couple of weeks, a bit closer to my due date (March 15, 2011). After the appointment, I went to the mall for my daily walk. That particular day I walked three miles around the perimeter of the mall. I would get my decaf coffee and walk as quickly as a 9 month pregnant mama can walk around the mall (it was me and the senior citizens doing their power walk).
After the mall walk, I met my mom for lunch. She knew I was starting to get bored home by myself so she would meet me for lunch frequently. We went to Nino's pizza and I had a great meatball parm sub. The lady at the table next to us asked me when I was due, and when I told her she got excited and said "Oooooh, that baby is going to come any day now! Hopefully not while your eating lunch!" Little did any of us know that Ryan would make his arrival the very next day. Later in that evening, Mike's parents came down to take us out to dinner (yes, I ate A LOT the day before Ryan was born haha). We went to Chili's and I had an appetizer, dinner, AND desert!
Besides all of the eating, I did a few other weird things. Its almost like I knew something was about to happen... but I had no reason to feel this way. I felt great, I wasn't cramping, and I had no reason to suspect that I might go into labor. But that afternoon, I texted Jackie to make sure she would be my contact person for the girls when the time game. I called my mom to make sure she knew the plan for when I went into labor. When Mike's parents went to go home that night, I joked about how funny it would be if they drove all the way home and then we called them to tell them I was in labor and they should come back down. I asked Mike to take one more picture of my pregnant belly (I'll post the picture in a few days). I even went to bed instead of staying up to watch a movie with Mike and said I wanted to get some sleep just in case something happened that night.
I was right, something did happen that night...my water broke at 3:30am and Ryan was one his way! Its almost like subconsciously I knew it was going to happen. I always knew I was in tune with my body, but I didn't think it was like that!
Anyway tomorrow is the big day, the big first birthday party. I have such mixed emotions. I am so happy that he is growing and happy and healthy. I can't wait to see what this next year will bring us. But I'm also sad that he is growing so fast and he is no longer my little baby. I miss the newborn moments so much already. That little boy has stolen my heart and I absolutely love him. One year old is going to be great. I am really enjoying this stage!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Busy Busy
I have been totally slacking on my blog posts. We have tons going on, and tons that I want to blog about but I feel like I can't get caught up on my "to-do" list and my blogging keeps getting pushed down the list. Here are a few little things that are keeping the Taynor's so busy.
- I spent January planning my mom's surprise 60th birthday party. Between planning, invites, food, errands, decorations, etc I felt like all I could think about was the party.
-Ryan's first birthday is next Saturday (Oh My God!!) so the month of February has been spent planning his party. It is going to be construction truck themed and I have a bunch of cute decorations to go along with it. I'll post more details about the party when its over and I have pictures to share. But same as the 60th... party planning takes a ton of time so that is currently my priority.
-Mike is working a ton. He finished his real estate class and passes his test. Next step is to start looking for an agency to work part time. His full time job is super busy too. He normally leaves by 8-8:30 am and doesn't get home until 6pm. Most days we are two ships passing in the night... I wish we had a little more "family" time.
-Work for me has been very busy. This week I worked 25 hours in the office, 10 hours at home, and did hair for 11 people. I am really loving what I am doing...but I'm exhausted. I have had to push aside all the things I want to be doing to fit in all the things I have to do (no fun). But I can't complain because the money is good and we really need that right now!
-I got a new jogging stroller for Valentines day... now I just need to get outside and use it. Today is going to be beautiful, so hopefully I can find a half hour to get outside for a run after Ryan's pm nap and before my evening hair clients come. I love the stroller and can't wait to start running much more often!
-Ryan LOVES swimming. He splashes from the second we get in the pool until I drag him out. I think we are going to have a lot of fun in our pool this summer. I can't wait for some sunshine!
-We are in total budget mode. We have been making good money, but spending a lot of it too. We are really trying to cut back and save more. We have so many goals for the future but we have a lot of debts (car payments, student loans, personal home loans, etc) that need to be payed off before we can do anything. It is a daunting task and I think that is why Mike and I are working so much right now. Hopefully our hard work will pay off and we will be able to achieve these goals.
Hmmmm I think that is about it. Off to the dermatologist to get Ryan's poor cheeks checked out.
- I spent January planning my mom's surprise 60th birthday party. Between planning, invites, food, errands, decorations, etc I felt like all I could think about was the party.
-Ryan's first birthday is next Saturday (Oh My God!!) so the month of February has been spent planning his party. It is going to be construction truck themed and I have a bunch of cute decorations to go along with it. I'll post more details about the party when its over and I have pictures to share. But same as the 60th... party planning takes a ton of time so that is currently my priority.
-Mike is working a ton. He finished his real estate class and passes his test. Next step is to start looking for an agency to work part time. His full time job is super busy too. He normally leaves by 8-8:30 am and doesn't get home until 6pm. Most days we are two ships passing in the night... I wish we had a little more "family" time.
-Work for me has been very busy. This week I worked 25 hours in the office, 10 hours at home, and did hair for 11 people. I am really loving what I am doing...but I'm exhausted. I have had to push aside all the things I want to be doing to fit in all the things I have to do (no fun). But I can't complain because the money is good and we really need that right now!
-I got a new jogging stroller for Valentines day... now I just need to get outside and use it. Today is going to be beautiful, so hopefully I can find a half hour to get outside for a run after Ryan's pm nap and before my evening hair clients come. I love the stroller and can't wait to start running much more often!
-Ryan LOVES swimming. He splashes from the second we get in the pool until I drag him out. I think we are going to have a lot of fun in our pool this summer. I can't wait for some sunshine!
-We are in total budget mode. We have been making good money, but spending a lot of it too. We are really trying to cut back and save more. We have so many goals for the future but we have a lot of debts (car payments, student loans, personal home loans, etc) that need to be payed off before we can do anything. It is a daunting task and I think that is why Mike and I are working so much right now. Hopefully our hard work will pay off and we will be able to achieve these goals.
Hmmmm I think that is about it. Off to the dermatologist to get Ryan's poor cheeks checked out.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
11 months
Yep, I'm a week late with this update! That is how you know life has been super busy. I can't believe Ryan's first birthday is in 4 weeks. I don't feel like I have a one year old!
The month of January was great. We started a mommy and me swim class, we visited Amanda and Bennett, we watched the Giants win every Sunday and eventually win the Superbowl (what a great first Superbowl for Ryan haha), and we celebrated Gigi's 60th birthday. As I have already mentioned, Mason was born on January 22. I have been working a lot, so Ryan gets to spend lots of time with Gigi, Pops, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Linda, Emma, Jameson and anyone else who has volunteered to babysit.
Here are some highlights from 10-11 months.
-Ryan has his top 2 teeth
-We are in total cranky man, teething hell...
-I am making another appointment for the Dermatologist because his Eczema is very bad again. Spots and rashes all over his cheeks, back, arms, ankles and knees. I feel so bad for my little man.
-He is very good at pushing buttons and turning nobs. He loves turned our fan on and off, turning the volume on the speakers up and down, playing with the buttons on our phone, etc. Not only is he using his fingers to do these things, he is doing it on purpose and is very aware of what will happen when he pushes the button.
-He also loves opening and closing things... doors, hamper lid, toilet seat, toy box
-He loves finger foods and is good at feeding himself. So far he loves puffs, steamed carrots, ground beef, little bits of cheese, cooked apples, pieces of meatballs, sweet potatoes, and bananas
-He is babbling much more, still no official words but we here mama, dada, yea, hi in his babbling
-He is starting to actually use his shape sorter toys... I caught him putting the circle in the circle spot a few times.
-He is much better at self play. He can entertain himself for longer periods of time.
-His level of comprehension has changed drastically this month. He knows why he is waving goodbye, and know how to chase a ball, can go get his favorite book when I ask, and he is well aware of when he is doing something he should not be doing. Its amazing to watch him figure things out and make decisions.
-He LOVES his bath time. I waited a long time for this, but he is at the point where bath time is play time... not torture.
-In addition to bath time, he LOVES swimming in the pool at the YMCA. Of all the babies, he is by far the most excited to be splashing in the pool. Its pretty funny to watch.
- And last but not least, he has taken his first steps... lots of them! I can't say he is walking just yet. But he is frequently walking from one toy to the next or taking a few steps to get to what he wants. I think he will be officially walking at any time.
I will continue to describe Ryan as a VERY active boy with a HUGE personality. He is always on the move and always getting into something. The more I spend time with other babies, I realize how active he really is. Most other babies seem so quiet and relaxed in comparison. He can also through a major temper tantrum, screaming, crying, throwing his body on the floor for what appears to be no reason at all. Meltdowns happen a few times a day. Night time is cranky time again... the hour of 5:30-6:30 is pretty rough. But mornings and mid day are great... lots of smiles and laughs and cuddle bug moments. We have lots of fun every day, this stage is the best because you can actually play with them!
That's about it for this month. I need to go and start planning this 1st birthday party!
The month of January was great. We started a mommy and me swim class, we visited Amanda and Bennett, we watched the Giants win every Sunday and eventually win the Superbowl (what a great first Superbowl for Ryan haha), and we celebrated Gigi's 60th birthday. As I have already mentioned, Mason was born on January 22. I have been working a lot, so Ryan gets to spend lots of time with Gigi, Pops, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Linda, Emma, Jameson and anyone else who has volunteered to babysit.
Here are some highlights from 10-11 months.
-Ryan has his top 2 teeth
-We are in total cranky man, teething hell...
-I am making another appointment for the Dermatologist because his Eczema is very bad again. Spots and rashes all over his cheeks, back, arms, ankles and knees. I feel so bad for my little man.
-He is very good at pushing buttons and turning nobs. He loves turned our fan on and off, turning the volume on the speakers up and down, playing with the buttons on our phone, etc. Not only is he using his fingers to do these things, he is doing it on purpose and is very aware of what will happen when he pushes the button.
-He also loves opening and closing things... doors, hamper lid, toilet seat, toy box
-He loves finger foods and is good at feeding himself. So far he loves puffs, steamed carrots, ground beef, little bits of cheese, cooked apples, pieces of meatballs, sweet potatoes, and bananas
-He is babbling much more, still no official words but we here mama, dada, yea, hi in his babbling
-He is starting to actually use his shape sorter toys... I caught him putting the circle in the circle spot a few times.
-He is much better at self play. He can entertain himself for longer periods of time.
-His level of comprehension has changed drastically this month. He knows why he is waving goodbye, and know how to chase a ball, can go get his favorite book when I ask, and he is well aware of when he is doing something he should not be doing. Its amazing to watch him figure things out and make decisions.
-He LOVES his bath time. I waited a long time for this, but he is at the point where bath time is play time... not torture.
-In addition to bath time, he LOVES swimming in the pool at the YMCA. Of all the babies, he is by far the most excited to be splashing in the pool. Its pretty funny to watch.
- And last but not least, he has taken his first steps... lots of them! I can't say he is walking just yet. But he is frequently walking from one toy to the next or taking a few steps to get to what he wants. I think he will be officially walking at any time.
I will continue to describe Ryan as a VERY active boy with a HUGE personality. He is always on the move and always getting into something. The more I spend time with other babies, I realize how active he really is. Most other babies seem so quiet and relaxed in comparison. He can also through a major temper tantrum, screaming, crying, throwing his body on the floor for what appears to be no reason at all. Meltdowns happen a few times a day. Night time is cranky time again... the hour of 5:30-6:30 is pretty rough. But mornings and mid day are great... lots of smiles and laughs and cuddle bug moments. We have lots of fun every day, this stage is the best because you can actually play with them!
That's about it for this month. I need to go and start planning this 1st birthday party!
11 Month Photo Shoot
Mommy and Me photo shoot with Noah and Kelli
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